Behind Enemy Lines
by E3-FantasyandReality
Summary: [AU] Sarutobi's suspicion arouses as Danzo plots an act against him. But what exactly is he plotting? In order to find out he sends out the only available Sannin, Tsunade, to earn the Root's Captain's trust. But somewhere along the lines, something goes wrong. Terribly wrong. Rated M for mild swearing, violence and sexual scenes [Requested fic]
1. Behind Enemy Lines

A/N: Who remembers the first - original - chapter? :) It's been such a long time since I wrote the first chapter: April 18 to be more specific. XD Damn!

Alright before you scroll down and read this super crack story I need to explain a couple of things, to put rest to your question(s):

**Is Tsunade older than Kakashi? **\- Yes... but no, it's not like she's thirty plus and he's fifteen or something. In this story she is merely older than him.. a year.. and a few months to be exact.

**Is this really AU? **\- I sure hope you read the "Very AU" Sign and not the "sexual scenes" part. XD But yes, people will be OOC. It's necessary make several characters to be OOC in order to portray a realistic dark/drama/adult rated story.

**Will there be sex scenes, or is this just a catch? - **Judging from my past reviews... people like lemon. There are _some _scenes but if you're looking for strong harem/hentai... you're in the wrong story.. sorry. I'm not a lemon writer but I do try to fulfill the adult themed story.

**Will there be any OC? - **Yes... not a lot, just enough to have some impact on the story.

**Genre? - **Drama, Action, Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Dark, (Slight) Erotica and Humor.. Yes, _humor_. XD I bet the readers who've read the original piece would say, "Humor? Was there even any humor?" The answer is, there was barely any humor - close to none - in the story. So I thought to insert more (in appropriate moments). _  
_

**Scale 1 to 10 of how "adult themed" is this story? - **Um... 8. A strong 8, verging into 9. I can't really say because it's a gradual progress.

**Will there be a difference between this and the original story? Or will it be the same? - **Most of the chapters are different but it will share some spitting images. Also, this story will go to another direction so... most of the things you know about the old BEL and how it will end will probably be different.

Alright those are the only questions that needs answering for now. :)

**Kukasabe Swift, aRandomPeople, U3Fan, Twisted and FanficBaka! Your story is finally here. ;) **

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

_One small note that will help you with the story:_

_**Wolf** \- Kakashi **Cat** \- Itachi **Hawk** \- Tenzo **Dog** \- Genma (Their masks)_

* * *

**Prologue: Behind Enemy Lines**

_Two nights prior..._

It was nightfall and the moon had embarked on its brightest mark, illuminating the riverbanks and trees in the distance. A zephyr hovered and danced throughout the entire plain, lightly running through nocturnal animals' furs as it passed. Dozens of animals' interest piqued when concentrated ominous chakra spewed around the atmosphere, intoxicating the light breeze that contained the scent of flowers, tree barks and freshly cut grass that the wildlife indulged in.

Shriveled screams echoed across the forest, alerting the animals' senses even more. Clashes of weapons rang through and spurred the animals to run away from the overwhelming danger.

The magical night spiraled into a bloodbath in the forest - just on the border of Konoha - when onslaught begun its mark.

Four armor clad ANBU with distinguishable masks - wolf, cat, dog, and hawk - marched through the small community camp, katana in their grasp at the ready. Steady footsteps trudged on damp soil as they patrolled and surveyed the area.

The man who led the group stretched out his arm and gave them a silent signal to halt their movements. "Check the houses here, I'll check up ahead. _Remember_ \- kill everyone here."

"Hai!" the four ANBU members parted ways to search every single house that may hold the remaining survivors.

Their leader entered the final house with caution, black gloved hand wrapped around a sheathed sword. His eyes tightened as he scanned the dark premise before he raised his foot to take another step deeper into the house. "There's no point hiding, I can feel your chakra." he calmly stated, shutting the door behind him.

Drips of water that echoed from afar alerted the ANBU, making him crouch slightly as he entered several rooms that were already empty. He sighed and drew his katana from its case, pointing it in front of him as a shield. "You have defied Danzo's orders," he began, slowly rotating around his surrounding as he took several steps back to the kitchen. "Death is the ultimate punishment, you know that."

"We haven't defied Danzo! He simply wants to dispose us for his own leisure!" a voice barked back.

The ANBU soldier swung his katana to deflect the incoming kunais thrown at him in the room adjacent to the kitchen. "There.." he whispered, fueling his feet with chakra to propel him to the survivor.

Fast paced footsteps echoed in the empty house with several clashes of swords in the middle. The shadowed man recklessly charged at the masked enemy with a curved blade upheld, going in for a foreswing reinforced with a backswing. The masked man met the thick blade with his own katana, his hand shakily pushed his katana's weight on the sword before he pulled away.

_Advancing. Advancing. _The two men met each other again, exchanging fatal strikes that could end their lives. The curved sword swung forward and it was met by a thinner katana. The man spun around and slashed at the ANBU before he lunged forward. "It's over, Danzo's dog!" he barked, slashing downwards at the ANBU.

The masked officer jumped up into the air and rotated down with his blade, electricity coated his stainless saber as he daringly lunged down in a rotating motion. _'One... Two... NOW!' _Before his blade could taste the flesh of the mysterious man his body was blown away by a strong wind force.

_"Wind style: Breathing Dragon!"_

The ANBU slammed against the wall whilst his weapon embedded in the floor, six meters from him. "Not bad.." masked lips curved into a smirk as he stood back up on his feet. Slowly he raised his head up, penetrating through the man with his gaze. His lone blood thirsty scarlet eye rotated erratically, developing the infamous three-tomoe-wheel. '_Sharingan!' _

"An ANBU who is non-Uchiha who wields the sharingan.." the man's eyes gaped along with his mouth, "It couldn't be... you're-!"

"Draw your sword." he clearly spoke, "Use jutsu. Do whatever. Your fate will still be the same."

"Don't fuck with me!" the man growled, teeth gritting, eyes tightening. He ran with untraceable speed, but the masked man stood calm and collected with his hand generating electricity that roared like a thousand birds.

_Striking. _His broadsword sliced through the white armor at the midsection, startling the masked ninja. It missed the flesh by an inch, but it was satisfactory. "What? Did you really think you could intercept my attack?"

The ANBU concealed under a wolf porcelain mask ran towards his sword that was still embedded into the malnourished wooden floor. He grunted when he felt the shadowed man's presence zoom past his body. "Damn it..!" his hand clutched around his katana, coating it with blue, erratic electricity.

In the shadowed seclusion he couldn't make out where his target was, even with his sharingan. The enemy had purposely drained his chakra - close to none - so he couldn't be detected. But, he was _too_ naive to think he wouldn't be able to make out the faintest sounds. '_6 o'clock... 12 o'clock... 5 o'clock..' _

His target staggered. The ANBU swung. His sword narrowly missed. The opponent managed another smirk, this time at the spryness of his dodge. His agility was beyond normal for sure, it was impressive but...

"Not impressive enough,"

_Swing. Swing. Swing. _Three daring attempts spurred the ANBU on - the first was dodged, the second tore through fabric and ran lightly on his skin. His feet, fueled with chakra to increase his speed, took paced steps forward with his sword intact. The third attempt tore through the man's upper thighs, ultimately bringing him on his knees.

The pointed edge was pushed against the skin of his neck as a sign of his defeat. "This is the end of the road for you."

"Fine by me. As long as you spare my wife and children," the man spoke, guiding the sword closer into the expanse of his neck. "For my life, spare my family's. Or are you those dogs who take advantage of vulnerable women?"

Mismatched eyes tightened in disgust, "We came here to kill, not to do more than that. Besides your family is probably dead." he raised his sword, ready to cleave his head straight off. "Know the consequences of defying Danzo."

"You shall know the consequences for serving Danzo,"

Without responding he swung his sword down, cutting through his flesh until it sliced the air after it. He sighed when the head fell on the ground, staining the wooden floor with a grotesque scarlet hue. He pushed the decapitated body with his sword with a look of apathy. "Scum."

He drew the sword to his spare gloved hand and wiped away the unnecessary blood from his stainless steel blade. He then retracted his weapon back in its case and walked out of the vacant house.

"We found one female, one male and three children. What do we do?" the man with a hawk mask asked.

"Family?"

"No... they were found in different houses."

The man behind the wolf mask momentarily sighed, "Put them all in a line."

"Hai!"

The five remaining survivors were forced into a straight line. They stood silent, anxious to see what their fate will be. However, the man who stood in the middle protested and spat profanity at the four masked men.

"You bastards you think you can just come here and slaughter us like animals?!" he vociferated, hands curling into a fist. "You want women, right? We can come to a deal: release me and have her! Yeah, her!"

The wolf masked man stepped forward and placed his hand on his shoulder, digging his nails into it. "So you're offering us a deal?"

"Yeah, a deal!"

The woman shrieked and clutched onto her clothes as she took steps backwards from the line. "No! No!" silver linings of tears accumulated until it trailed down on the expanse of her rosy cheeks.

"Well," his hand that gripped the man's shoulder tightened as he pushed him down to meet his knee. His knee dug deep into his abdomen before he kicked him on the face down to the ground. "I think you should die first."

"W-W-Wait!" the man pleaded helplessly under the daunting darkened figure of the masked man. He shuffled backwards on his buttocks until his back met an oak tree's bark. "No!"

A slender katana basked under the moon, its deadly edge illuminated and shone with silver edges that blinded the man's peripherals. "Listen.. we can work this out! Just let me-!"

_Slice!_

Blood meandered down his neck from the clean slit made in his throat. Crimson liquid ambled down and stained his clothes until it began to create a bloody pool on the glistening grass. Silenced dawned upon them all, neither uttered another word. "Blindfold them." he finally strongly ordered. "We can't waste more time."

"Then what?"

"We give them something to _drink_,"

The cat-like masked ANBU was the first to step forward to the shaken woman. He held her shoulder gently before he carefully wrapped a layer of white bandages over her eyes. "Don't be scared," he soothingly whispered, cupping both of her cheeks, to provide solace. "This is the only option."

She nodded, sobbing quietly. "Th-Thank... you." a small whispered escaped her lips, hands gripping his forearms with little strength she had left within her. Light pink lips quivered in fear as tears ran down her cheeks. The man masked in a cat-like porcelain mask began to feel a twist in his lips as he stared at the innocent, shaken woman quivering with anxiety.

However, he had not time to sympathize with his objective. Time was of the essence. They needed to be disposed off as quickly as possible. With a grimace he pulled away from the woman's grip and walked away.

Once the only survivors were all blindfolded they were given drinks mixed with poison. It didn't hold any scent for any of them to detect, nor did it have taste. It was a silent poison that won't pain the victim. It would simply put them to sleep for _eternity_.

The four watched as the remaining survivors dropped on the ground, bodies limp. They looked at peace, and that was all that matters. Crows flew from the tree branches and into the night whilst the ANBU soldiers walked away from the corpses which littered the barren headquarters which formerly occupied hundreds of people.

They walked among the dead, but only held the feeling of victory. They saw nothing but a completed mission. The man under the hawk mask momentarily stopped in his tracks and glanced at the sight of children with lacerations bearing through their stomachs. This area was destitute with impoverished people clinging onto the vestige of life. When in reality, many people with far more superior power, saw them as mere pests that needed to be eradicated as soon as possible.

This day was inevitable. If they won't do it, then another celled-team would surely be sent to carry out the same mission.

Their leader halted once more to remove his mask that concealed his identity. "Mission complete." he said, eyes dull from the massacre he had just committed. He turned on his heels to face his teammates who had also removed their masks. "Burn the houses down to the ground, Itachi."

The Uchiha nodded obediently and weaved signs before he took a deep breath in. Slowly he produced enough flames to burn down the entire community. Kakashi's eyes watched the wooden house falter and crash into the ground as wild flames engulfed it. It wasn't long until only thick, grey nimbus of smoke lingered and polluted the atmosphere as ember excess danced around the four ANBU members.

"We need to head back." Tenzo finally said as his fingers ran through his chocolate hair. "Our mission is complete."

Kakashi nodded, "Genma, Itachi we're heading back. Let's go."

The small community burnt down to ashes under the peaceful night. Whilst the bloodied four resumed heading back to their village, unscathed and without feeling. Their deadly eyes shone through the night and their evil masked counterparts loomed under the moon.

_**~O~O~**_

_Two days later..._

As ember rays from the sun began to embark on its journey to lighten the entire village, three infamous ninjas were summoned in the secluded room where all missions were given. They stood silent with anticipation beginning to pent up per strode the Hokage took in the room.

The Third Hokage gave an exasperated sigh, he was tired. Tired of many massacres occurring just beyond the Land of Fire's borders. He sat back down on his chair, eyes still transfixed on the tattered letter he had received a day ago. A letter confirming the malicious genocide which occurred two nights ago by masked, anonymous ninjas who left the scene undetected.

"Sarutobi-sensei, you'll have more wrinkles if you keep working hard like this," The elder's tall, gallant student pointed out. "Don't get me wrong, you have enough as it is. In fact-"

Before he could finish his sentence that he had wanted to express for more than half an hour, a sharp elbow jabbed deep in his abdomen. Jiraiya's strong posture deteriorated at a quick pace into a hunched frame. Surreptitiously, Jiraiya glared down at his petite comrade who daringly returned the same look.

"Hime, was that necessary?" he asked, eyebrow raised in question. "If you wanted to touch my body_ that badly_, you know you're very welcome to." a small twinkle, which enraged the blonde, developed in his onyx eyes, followed by a suggestive wink.

One pair of honey eyes turned into fire, her hand curled into a fist fueled with small blue chakra flames. "What did you say, _pervert_?!"

"Will you stop?" Hiruzen spoke up, voice drenched with fatigue. "It's 4am and you still have enough stamina to fight like kids?"

Tsunade's intention to punch Jiraiya unconscious halted and she silently withdrew her overwhelming chakra. Jiraiya, of course, silently thanked the Gods above that he was still alive. They stood away from each other with their arms folded stubbornly, neither dared to make eye contact. Just like children who haven't been forced to kiss and make up by their parents.

"Isn't that how they've always been?" Orochimaru stated with a lazy shrug. "They haven't grown up at all."

Jiraiya turned on his heels to face his snake-manipulator comrade, "Really, you only interject _now_?! What are _you_ doing _here_ anyway?"

"I was summoned." Orochimaru bluntly replied, "Isn't that why the three of us - the newly named Legendary Sannin - are here?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot!" his hand scratched the back of his head as he expressed a nervous chuckle. "So, Sensei what's the mission you need us to do?"

Hiruzen scattered three green envelops on his wooden desk, he placed his hands promptly on the desk and pushed himself up. "For the first time you won't work together to complete these missions." he turned the envelops over and showed that it was already tagged with their name. "This will be a solo undercover mission."

"Whereabouts?" Tsunade questioned. "Land of Lightning? Wind?"

Sarutobi placed his pipe down and threw the files to his students. "Orochimaru you will be going undercover in the Land of Earth." he turned to Jiraiya who had already torn the envelop, "Jiraiya, you're going to Land of Rain."

Before the location could be given to Tsunade, she spoke up: "My mission will be _here?_"

"Yes. Your objective is to investigate Danzo's ANBU organization. More importantly, you need to gain the right-hand man's trust. That way the mission will be easier."

"Right-hand man?" Both Orochimaru and Jiraiya asked, eyes darted a strong stare at the Hokage.

"Hatake Kakashi. A former Jounin who worked for me. However, he joined Danzo's ANBU two years ago, after certain traumatic events." obsidian eyes failed to make eye contact with Tsunade's. "This goes without saying: he's _dangerous_."

Orochimaru scanned through his given documents and gave a light nod, "Consider it done, Hokage-sama. I shall keep tabs on these rogue organizations for you."

"Red cloud organization?" Jiraiya asked, lowering the pages away from his eyes so he could level his gaze with his Sensei. "I've never heard of it."

The Third placed his pipe in between his cracked lips once more. "Their real name is still unknown. But, their crest has been seen and it's a red cloud with white trimmings around it. They have been last sighted in the Land of Rain."

The Sannin stood silent once more, their gazes fully transfixed on their objective papers. "Good luck to all of you. I can't guarantee everything will go as planned. Just remember to send back vital information every week."

"Hai!"

"Dismissed. Apart from you Tsunade, we need to talk."

As ordered the two male Sannin took their leave after they both gave a synchronized bow to the Hokage. Tsunade could only sigh when she heard the door gently close behind her.

"Tonight I need you to be a guard in the building _Sela Plaunge _where a celebration will be held. Suna has finally agreed to sign our treaty and so, we're holding a banquet for them here.."

"So you want me to keep a look out for any suspicious behavior?"

"Yes." The Hokage rose from his chair once more and walked over to the blond with another envelop in his hand. "You'll need this pass to get in. Be there by 2100."

Tsunade took the envelop from her teacher's hands and silently nodded, "I shall dismiss myself now, Hokage-sama."

_**~O~O~**_

_Verging to 6 o'clock am..._

The complete Sannin stood in front of the gate. Both Orochimaru and Jiraiya stared at Tsunade blankly, they could see the worry accumulating deep within her orbs. She stared at them, silently pleading for them to stay alive in their mission away from each other. However, she didn't express her worry by words. The overwhelming sense of worry in Tsunade had coerced her to become vulnerable in front of them. Words were futile, the look in her darkening hazel orbs spoke volumes.

"Take care you two," she said with a smile. "If you are ever severely wounded, contact me with your summon, okay?"

"Hime-" Orochimaru whispered.

"Just _promise_ me you'll make it back."

"That is impossible, Tsunade-hime. You know that no ninja can promise they'll return back." The snake replied.

Tsunade shook her head, refusing to accept his response. "Promise me... you'll come back - the both of you."

"I said it's-"

Jiraiya stepped closer to Tsunade, slowly he wrapped his arms around her. "You're talking to the Great Gallant here. Obviously we'll make it back. Orochimaru is just being a pessimistic bastard to wind you up."

The pale Jounin in the background hid his face that contained nothing but apprehension for Tsunade. Even though she would remain in her hometown, evil still lurked and she was about to step in behind enemy lines. It was needless to say that her mission was going to be treacherous. "Jiraiya, it's about time we set off." he abruptly announced.

The gallant didn't unwind his arms around the petite Senju, instead it tightened. Orochimaru could tell with his narrow golden eyes that Jiraiya was savoring the moment, because even though he made the promise he would come back; he knew he wasn't sure if he can keep it.

Tsunade finally pulled away from his warm embrace content with the sense comfort she found in his caring hug. "Here," she retrieved two medic pouches, especially made for them. "Poison repellents, bandages, needles, dissolvable threads, food pills and a portion of my blood is in there."

"B-Blood?!" Jiraiya shrieked.

"I see," Orochimaru whispered as he observed a portion of her blood in the container, "So we can summon Katsuyu, correct? Just in case you won't be able to make in time."

"..Yes."

She stared right at him as if she was telling him to bid her farewell. Reluctantly, Orochimaru's hand rested at the back of Tsunade's head before he gently pushed her closer to his chest. "We'll come back in one piece."

Jiraiya gave a minuscule smile at the sight of his supposedly heartless comrade comfort their petite teammate. _'Ahh... look at that, it looks like the heartless bastard knows how to hug. But, it kinda looks... awkward.' _

"Come on, Oro! We have to set out!" Jiraiya ordered, shoving the medical kit inside his pouch. "We have to make it time!"

"..In time for what?" Orochimaru asked, befuddled. "We weren't given a specific time."

Jiraiya looked over his shoulder, a grin appeared, then a giggle. "Women, Oro." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched at his response, "Women will be waiting for my body in the brothel!"

"You haven't changed," Tsunade dismissed his perverted sentence when she shook her head.

"And I don't think why I should!" Jiraiya laughed whole-heartedly. "Women shall be falling on their knees when they see _the_ _Gallant_!" he vociferated with such high zest.

As the golden sun commenced on its highest mark both of the male Sannin tightened their forehead protector, rearing to go. Jiraiya gave a final thumbs up at Tsunade, and Orochimaru merely smiled at her. "Alright... let's go!" the gallant roared, propelling himself forward with high speed.

Tsunade watched as their bodies became mere silhouettes in the distance before they could no longer be seen. She sighed heavily, and turned back to face the village that blossomed back to life with the golden rays of sun shedding light to its mundane colored buildings.

She smiled. Today was just another day in Konoha.

_**~O~O~**_

_Later that night..._

She stood in front of a full-length bevelled mirror, heavily staring at her outfit with a scrutinizing glare. A black tulle short dress, with horse hair detailing on the skirt with a one shoulder sheer tulle overlay and a grosgrain ribbon at the natural waist, loosely outlined her curvaceous body. A pair of four inched black open-toe heels adorned her small feet, revealing her black painted toes.

Golden tresses all locked into a messy bun by a black ribbon, with a portion of curling tendril shaping her face. Tsunade slowly bent down to attach a thin holster, which contained miniature sharp kunais, just above the hem of her dress.

Tsunade ran her slender fingers on the invitation before she gently clasped it. Carefully, as she stared back into the mirror, she painted her lips with a nude pink lipstick. Eyes glimmered at her reflection with her painted lips curving into a light smile.

The digital clock on her wall ticked to 8:30 and Tsunade calmly walked out of her apartment.

_9 o'clock pm..._

Without any sufficient clothing to provide the heat her exposed body needed Tsunade was huddled up against the vicious, cold, and damp weather. Persistent, Tsunade continued to head north with her heels _clicking _along the stoned pavement. A few grunts, profanity and unexpected shrieks when her heel would suddenly sink between the stoned pavement, soon led her to the golden gates.

It wasn't long before the large, ornate stone building appeared in sight, just in the near distance with several Cherry Blossoms swaying at its side. Tsunade casted her eyes about the grey and ominous sky with trepidation. Something felt dark in the premise, dark enough to make her guts begin to twist into a knot. However, she continued to enter the grand building with her head up high.

'_Something doesn't feel right.'_

Her shoulder brushed against several other guests from both the Leaf and Suna towards the entrance, but light contact remained oblivious to her. She was met by kind smiles and looks from fellow ninjas along the way, to which she kindly reciprocated with a small nod but merely at that. At the end of the crowd was the Hokage with the Kazekage, in his usual red and white robe.

His wrinkled face turned to her at the sound of her heels. Hiruzen's face brightened up, lips widening into a smile. She continued her paced strides toward the grand stone entrance-way, trying hard to escape the depressing climate that hung around her throughout the whole journey.

Surreptitiously, she shared one short eye contact with Hiruzen with a small smile in the middle. Her legs basked under the natural light as she quickly stepped up the final four small, stone steps. "Finally," she breathed, sighing momentarily.

"Tsunade." a voice spoke behind her with their hand firmly clutched on her shoulder. Slowly, but oh surely, their hand pulled her back to turn her to face them. "It's me!"

A fairly muscular man who towered in front of her, smiling so wide, waited for her to recognize him. Medium length dark chocolate hair ran down his forehead, narrowly obscuring his teal orbs that glistened underneath the moon. Well defined jaw lines that met in the middle, creating quite a sharp chin. He wore a presentable white and black suit and tie outfit, minus the blazer.

Hazel eyes narrowed for a brief second before his face registered in her mind. "Gray!" she claimed, openly throwing her arms open to welcome him to a hug. "Gray Teishu.. it's been so long." she whispered, patting his back.

He pulled away with a matching, bright smile. "Yeah, it has. I'd like to catch up sometime, but I hear you're a guard in this party - not exactly luxurious."

"Hokage's orders." she replied, stepping back away from him. "I've got to go. See you around."

Tsunade gave him a final parting wave before she turned back around to the grand doors. Before she took another step in she straightened her black dress to make it more prominent and presentable. Fairly satisfied, she resumed her way into the building.

Warm air that cloaked around her bare skin keenly welcomed her and a whiff of pleasant, clean aroma greeted her senses. Tsunade began to walk forward to the mahogany desk. Her hazel eyes seemed to have drifted, subconsciously, from wall to wall, admiring the wood-paneled walls, stained dark. High ceilings, decorated with plaster arches, old, brass chandelier lights which cast a strange hue across the room. She slowed her pace to admire the rich, artistic landscapes which adorned to the walls in their ornate frames.

"Can I have your invitation please," the man behind the desk asked, drenched with a rich accent she couldn't quite distinguish. He wore the standard black and white tuxedo that highlighted his firm biceps and muscular torso. Raven hair crowned his muscular face, and dark blue eyes. His hand was reached out, patiently waiting for her card. "Ma'am?"

"Here." without haste she gave her invitation and was immediately given a hard clay mask painted in white and decorated with golden curved lines to give it more feminine depth. She ran her index finger on the porcelain object, half smiling.

He ticked off her name and glanced back up, keenly watching as she wore the mask that obscured only her soft, honey eyes. He ran his fingers through his gelled hair, dazed when she smiled at him before she entered the masquerade.

First step into the grand room her naked eyes were preyed upon with bright chandelier lights that hung above, and luxurious dresses that basked underneath its glory. She scanned the room and saw monumental glass windows curving at the top to add accent to it with royal red curtains reinforcing it.

Music also introduced itself to Tsunade's senses. Not far from her were a small band playing soft jazz that enlightened the mood between the ninjas who once opposed each other. However, the music soon died and slowly it transpired into a more intimate, dark music.

Suddenly her peripherals caught a fairly conspicuous man who overlooked her and the crowd from the above. He stood tall on a balcony, not too high from the crowd but the height was sufficient enough to observe all of the guests. He wore a black silk fabric long-sleeved shirt that had the first three buttons unbuttoned, allowing a slither of silver skin to be exposed. He also wore a mask that only protected the upper half of his face. It was silver with a pair of cat-like eyes as holes for the eyes and minor detailing on the mask.

He stood prominent above all with a gin and tonic in his hand. He also surveyed the area, slowly looking left to right. He continued his observation until his interest piqued - he caught a woman, with blonde hair clad in a black dress, stood staring at him for a brief moment. "Hn." he simply said, running his pale fingers through his silver hair.

His pale lips clamped on the glass rim of his beverage, but to his realization he had already drank all of his drink. Coolly, he made his way down the stairs that eloquently curved down to the marbled landing, with his spare hand in his pocket. He sauntered through several people before he saw the bar in front of him.

Tsunade stood in front of the bar, waiting for her drink. It wasn't long until she was joined by the mysterious man she had previously seen on top. Once her drink was forwarded to her, they made one brief eye contact. "..What?" she sharply asked.

"You-"

Another masked man dressed in a suit with raven locks tied into a ponytail appeared before them, two men with brown hair followed. "Taichou, we've have spotted Suna ninjas in the East. What do you propose we do?" he asked calmly in a whisper against his ear.

"Scout around them. If there are any suspicious movement; flank them. Smoke them out.. then retrieve one for interrogation." Kakashi replied firmly, shadowed eyes tightened at the sight of the Kazekage. '_Kazekage, huh? His presence... it doesn't.. wait... is that a shadow clone?' _With a blink of an eye his scarlet eye burst forth, glaring past the cheaply made clone. That act alone was mockery - does he think so lowly about the Leaf ninjas? That fool.

The man, with long brown hair that hovered just above his shoulders, removed his mask and revealed his face ever so casually. "So, what are _you _going to do?"

Thin, pale lips showed a smirk in reply, "I'll _personally_ keep an eye on _this_ Kazekage. If that is indeed a shadow clone, then that must mean he's planning in the East to attack. Go on without me, Genma."

"We'll be off then," Genma bowed respectively and placed his mask back on before he disappeared in the cluster of people with Itachi and Tenzo.

As they walked through the crowd a firm hand gripped Itachi's shoulder, halting him. "Careful, some Suna ninjas are becoming suspicious." he whispered. "If anything, I think they've come prepared. We better keep our eyes open, like what Danzo-sama said."

Itachi peered over his shoulder and saw his fellow Uchiha friend - Shisui Uchiha - behind him, also with a mask over his face. "Shisui, I want you to keep an eye on Kakashi-senpai. If anything were to happen, you need to be his aide."

"Alright. I'll be ready, don't worry." Shisui reassured, voice as strong as steel.

_Back with Kakashi..._

The silver-haired ANBU officer remained stood in the bar, alone. It turned out the blonde in the bar disappeared when his group appeared before him. His mismatched eyes scanned and monitored each, and ever single, Suna ninjas who analyzed their surroundings. His face scrunched with trepidation as his eyes tightened with skepticism. '_...Ten undercover agents. That crafty old Kazekage.'_

Once he had received his gin and tonic again - extra ice and lime - he headed back up the stairs. To his surprise his own space was taken by the _exact _blonde he had seen several times. He sighed and reluctantly joined her, hand in pocket.

"What is your affiliation?" Kakashi asked, sipping from his alcohol beverage.

Tsunade surreptitiously glanced back at the silver-haired man. "I work under the Hokage."

"Ah. Then, let me ask you something, can you sense something suspicious about the Kazekage?"

"I have a hunch he's a shadow clone." her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "His chakra is fluttering at an erratic pace. It's not well-made either, you can feel the chakra dissipating. Meaning it's a timed clone - it's bound to disappear soon."

"Hn." he simply replied with a small smile. "As I would expect from a Sannin."

The blonde momentarily stared at her companion, completely bewildered. "How did you know?"

"Simple - you're the only woman I've read about to be this skilled. No ordinary ninja has that kind of innate ability. Being able to distinguish shadow clones from the real mark is very difficult without the Sharingan, Senju Tsunade."

"Well then, since you know my identity, why won't you tell me yours?" she asked keenly, neck craned to make a fearsome eye contact.

Kakashi took another sip from his drink. "I'm not in any obligation to give you my name. ANBU has a policy to not speak of our name during a mission. You can address me by my code name: _Masanori_."

Beneath the balcony was the Hokage who was engaged in a conversation with several Suna ninjas. He strolled with a few of them with confidence, pipe in his possession. However, an ominous chakra piqued his senses, making him peer up the balcony where he saw Tsunade interacting with Kakashi. She seemed completely oblivious to his true identity. Her lax form was simply too reckless. '_Tsunade, get away from him it's too soon!' _Before the Hokage could climb up the stairs he was taken aside by his fellow ninjas.

"Hokage-sama don't wonder off now. The Kazekage wants a private word with you." they claimed, pushing him to the opposite direction.

His onyx pair eyes glared at Kakashi who had pinned Tsunade to one of the pillars that supported the balcony. '_Kakashi, you bastard!'_

Tsunade's hands clutched tightly at the ridges of the pillar which she rested on. Kakashi's masculine scent assaulted and clouded Tsunade's senses, she had subconsciously allowed herself to indulge into his sinful scent as he drew closer to her. The intensity that radiated Kakashi's body froze her body, he had fully captivated her.

"Firstly," he huskily spoke, hand gliding on her thigh. "Hn," Kakashi halted his sentence mid-way at the sight of her vulnerability. His icy hand resumed to glide up her thigh, in slow, torturous motion. His lips pressed on the rim of her ear whilst his evil presence spewed around Tsunade. His hand clasped around the holster that hugged her thigh, and unclipped it before he drew it from her leg. "A ninja must _always_ be discrete with their weaponry when in an undercover mission." a small whisper drenched with pernicious aura.

Her delicate hands clutched around his broad shoulder, slowly pushing his body away from hers. "Doing such blatant perverted actions is prohibited in missions, _Masanori_." deep rage surfaced in her pupils. '_This guy... is nothing but a pompous and lascivious bastard.' _

"I practically saved your life." he stated, folding and inserting her holster into his pocket. "If I could see it, then so could the undercover Suna ninjas from below, don't you think?"

He made a valid point which only aggravated her even more.

Footsteps intruded their circle which halted Tsunade from making her speech. A tall, extremely virile blond man made his entrance between the two. His obsidian orbs were nearly masked by his short bangs that parted in the middle. He was clad in a tuxedo and a pair of polished, pointed black shoes. "Masanori, I see you have already spoken to my daughter, Tsunade." he began formally.

"You know him?" Tsunade asked.

"Of course, he's the new guard in our Senju clan. He mainly protects Nawaki, but he also serves under our estate."

Kakashi bowed his head for a second and raised it back again, glancing at the tall Senju, "Raiko-sama, do you require my presence by any chance?"

"No, not at all." Raiko politely brushed off his offer with a smile. He stared back at his daughter who remained silent. "Tsunade, it's been a long time since I've seen you. I see you've made a name for yourself - one of the Legendary Sannin - that's pretty impressive."

"Father," Tsunade softly spoke, not meeting his gaze.

Raiko looked at Kakashi and silently nodded at him. The masked man gave obeisance at the Head of the Senju, then walked to the enormous twin glass doors that led to an outside balcony that overlooked a vast garden. He closed the two doors, to allow them privacy, and walked to the edge of the balcony.

The halcyon rustles from the tress calmed the ANBU officer as he resigned a small sigh of relief. The room he was in had outstanding heat produced by the majority of the ninjas from below. It was a claustrophobic room, which he simply detested. The cool breeze that sunk their fangs into his naked skin relaxed his senses, and that was all he needed. Soft motions of the wind caressed his exposed neck, jawline and lips before it ran along his silver strands.

However, his moment of peace was shattered when he heard a faint creak of one of the doors being pushed open. Keenly, Kakashi peered over his shoulder and saw the same slender blonde he had engaged conversation with.

His mismatched eyes tightened as he analyzed at her, bottom to top. Pristine, long legs reinforced her curvy body which was clad with a black dress that clung onto her breasts, refining it so well. Eyes then fell on her nails that were embellished with a coat of black manicure, which held a scarlet red beverage with a slice of lemon embedded on the glass rim.

Her strides exuded with contemporary class and confidence, captivating the ANBU officer.

'_This woman...'_

The moonlight accentuated her features with each strode she took toward him. Even without the presence of golden chandeliers, she was beautiful and exquisitely adorned by the silver shimmer of natural light.

Underneath the midnight shroud that had settled, where only dim glimmers and dark shadows existed, was a malicious devil who waited at the end. His body was tranquil and poised underneath the darkness. With the icy zephyr resonating around them, his presence became more fierce and intimidating. Finally, he fully turned to her, exposing a slanted half-smile at her.

"Does your father need me?" he asked, low and coated with power.

"No," she simply whispered. "I came here to ask for your name. Since you're working for my family, I think I'm entitled to know your _real _identity. Frankly, I'm not satisfied with your code name."

Again, he remained calm as he took a final sip from his drink, deliberately taking one of the half-melted ice cubes into his mouth. "So you can run a little background check on me?" he chuckled, "If you want it, ask the Hokage... he's knows my identity."

_'This woman... is tempting me...'_

"Alright then," she turned on her heels and headed back inside.

However, by a strong and lithe force she was forced to turn back around to meet his glare. Before her eyes darted wildly at him, he had slapped the mask from her face. Exposed twin hazel orbs followed the movement of the mask before it shattered on the floor. A myriad of porcelain shards sprawled onto the ground - a chaotic mess.

His arms snaked behind her back to support her weight whilst his spare hand dropped his glass to grip her forearm. "Tsunade," he whispered, making her avert her gaze to his eyes.

Her body immediately shook in fear at the sight of _the_ blood-thirsty sharingan and fathomless onyx eye burning holes straight through her. "You're-_You're_-" despite her shaken voice she remained articulate. '_Hatake Kakashi...'_

Sweat caused her hands to become moist, she was exuding. A small breath escaped from Kakashi's lips which tore through her pristine skin, slowly intoxicating her from within. The sight of her hazel eyes dilate could only quantify she was in deep shock.

"By the look of your face you know who I am." he carried on, voice still collected. "Tsunade, you shoul-"

"Tsunade!" another voice interrupted.

Kakashi saw Gray stood by the doors with a stern facial expression. He looked wary and perturbed, which only piqued Kakashi's interest. '_Gray Teishu.. an A rank Jounin. Specialty dojutsu and taijutsu. Main witness... well, this woman right here is his weakness.'_

The Sannin meticulously broke herself free from Kakashi's firm grip then, she shuffled backwards, instinctively trying to distance herself from her target. "Y-Yeah?" her voice quivered back in reply. Sweat broke down on her forehead as a stronger sense of dark presence lingered around Kakashi.

"The Hokage wants to see you,"

"I got it." she rushed back inside, sharing one final glance with the silver-haired man. "Have a good night, Kakashi."

"You got it, Tsunade." he smirked, hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Have fun yourself."

The door was shut which left Gray and Kakashi outside in a limited space. "I don't know why you're the guard in the Senju clan, but you sure as hell smell evil."

Kakashi retorted back, "Is that so?"

"I have one advice for you: keep _away_ from the Senju Princess." he briefly warned before he made his way inside.

Kakashi remained poised at his whimsical threat. At the sound of the door slamming shut in front of him, he collected the broken shards from Tsunade's porcelain mask. His mind pondered elsewhere, simply drifted subconsciously back to his first encounter with one of the Sannin. Glossed lips that shimmered underneath the lights; sweet jasmine perfume which still lingered around him; hazel eyes that briefly infatuated him, all ran in his mind. _'She is certainly interesting... but very suspicious.'_

The ANBU's lingering thoughts immediately dispersed in his mind when he felt another presence that had managed to appear behind him. "Danzo-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"That woman you were with, Kakashi, is not to be trusted." the wrinkled man simply said, hand firmly clutching onto his crook. "She's _Hiruzen's_ student."

"I know. Don't worry," he finally replied, turning around to make eye contact. "Tsunade's already in my cards."

Danzo raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback with Kakashi's quick response. "You're not going to deviate from our plans with the Senju family, because you have been hypnotized by that diminutive blonde! There are different women who can quench your desire."

Kakashi feigned ignorance against his statement and merely grinned, not forming words to voice out his devious intentions.

"Are you saying that you..." his voice died at the sight of dark chakra emitting from Kakashi's body. '_..I see.'_

The ANBU officer's lips curved into a malicious smile. "She's already my target."

* * *

A/N: First chapter has come out! Yeahh! God I'm out of ideas now. My head is basically an empty cave right now. Wow... I haven't written BEL in ages that I have forgotten how I used to approach it. Well, it was nice coming back to this story.

This rewritten version will have a lot of differences from the last. It will be longer as well and it will be more adult rated. Hmm.. to my older readers, does Kakashi seem different to you?

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Second chapter will come very soon! And be kind to leave a review ;) (A lengthy review is deeply appreciated!)

_Excuse any mistakes made...  
_

Until I write again,

**Exciled3**


	2. Supremacy

A/N: Back with an update! :D Thanks for the kind reviews! And just to answer some questions from **Guest **and **_No-Username _**_(very fitting name, dude!): _

_1\. Itachi is as old as Kakashi here, yes. I know in canon he's not._

_2\. Since Shisui is alive... no, Itachi doesn't have a mangekyou sharingan._

_3\. F-Fifty Shades of Grey? Bro... whuuuuuttt? I'm speechless. O.o I have never read 50 SoG. So I don't know.  
_

_4\. Yes, this is a requested fic. I know it's out of the ordinary from me, but experimenting is also what I do._

I always dedicate a chapter to reviewers **Kukasabe Swift **and **FanficBaka **this _extremely_ long chapter is for you awesome guys(gals)! :D

Onwards to the chapter! This one _massive_ chapter ahead of you! Be ready! Good luck! ;)

**Sorry for any mistakes. :/  
**

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

**Chapter 1: Supremacy**

Deep within the Foundation Organization twelve fully clad ANBU ninjas were neatly aligned in front of Danzo. Their masks at their side, sabers fully strapped on the back of their metal plate armor, with their faces stoic and expressionless. Kakashi was among the twelve he, too, was abruptly ordered back in the Foundation in an _ungodly_ hour.

"Team Haku will be split into smaller groups for my given assignments." their leader announced strongly, keen eyes wondered left to right to meet every soldier's inscrutable eyes. "Your skills that were assessed a week ago has been given in and your leader - Kakashi Hatake - will distribute you into groups of fours. He will also sign a Captain to manage your group."

"Hai!" all of the eleven ninjas replied with synchronization.

Kakashi took his step forward from the line, body calm and posture prominent. With moderate paced steps he joined Danzo, six feet away from the group. His leader extended his hand as a kind gesture of a handshake, reluctantly Kakashi sealed the handshake with his own hand. "The honor is mine, Danzo-sama."

Swiftly he turned back around to meet his peers' gaze, he calmly returned the favor with his scarlet eye gleaming through the darkened room. "I'd like Shisui Uchiha, Yugao Uzuki, Yuukimi Astal, and Nohagami Igami to step up from the line." he strongly ordered.

All four chosen ninjas stepped forward, patiently waiting for further any notice. "The Captain for this team shall be Shisui Uchiha. And I want this team to work closely with mine." he announced. "We will be working loosely side-by-side with our missions, understood?"

"Yes, Senpai."

"Alright. Team 2 shall contain - Myself; Itachi Uchiha; Genma Shiranui, and Tenzo."

The three members of Team 2 marched forward in sync. Silently they nodded at Kakashi who glanced at each and every one of them. "The captain of this team shall be myself. However, if I am absent in missions as such, I'd like Itachi Uchiha to command Team 2."

"Hai!"

Kakashi looked at the remaining four members of Haku but he didn't utter a single word, he only looked at Danzo with a stern expression. His eyebrows knitted together and his lips twisted unpleasantly before he turned back to the remaining four. "Can I ask the following members - Ayame Hiryo; Mariko Kin; Hiro Keiki; Aoi Daiki - to stand forward."

As the remaining celled team leveled with the two other teams the silver-haired ANBU's eyes tightened with a steely glare. "The captain for this team will be Aoi Daiki. Team 3 shall be taking direct orders from Danzo. For today's mission, however, you'll be working with Team 2 - _my_ team."

Danzo stepped forward, purposely shadowing Kakashi, and cleared his throat. "Today's objective is a clean sweep assassination of a clan who are believed to have abducted three members of the Leaf. Wipe them out and do whatever you please."

"Will Kakashi-san be joining us?" Aoi asked.

"No, I will be in the Training Grounds recruiting new members for the Foundation. The appointed leader for this mission will be Itach-"

"Aoi Daiki, you shall govern this team. They will be at your disposal." the elder interrupted hastily, gaining a menacing growl from Kakashi.

"Danzo-sama, a _word._"

It wasn't a request. Far from it.

"Of course." he replied, smiling mockingly, knowing he had pulled his strings.

* * *

Deep in another private seclusion the two leaders engaged into a feud of disagreement. Unpleasant chakra began to resonate within their atmosphere, drenched with Kakashi's anger boiling. Strands of flames from the burning candles flickered along with his truculent mismatched eyes, emphasizing what could only be the inevitable if Danzo carried on with his carefree attitude.

Kakashi wasn't ignorant to the fact his superior had become more tensed and wary. Despite the circumstances of Danzo embodying passivity his eye had began to flare with fire, mirroring his rage silently with his own.

"Do you know how _catastrophic_ the mission will end if Aoi Daiki commands these teams?!" Kakashi was enraged and he made sure his leader was aware of his asperity. Rage of such is highly advised not to be taken lightly, especially if it's from a person like himself.

The room fell into a dark slumber, but the tension remained as ferocious as before. The deafening silence began to pose great threat for the both of them, if resumed further. It wasn't until Danzo spoke up Kakashi's imminent rage became tamer.

"I take it you don't approve of my decision," he spoke confidently, unfazed. "But may I remind you Kakashi Hatake - this is _my_ Foundation and I shall run it however I damn please!"

"Aoi Daiki and his team are malicious ninjas!"

"Now, you're being a hypocrite. _You_ have killed _hundreds_ of people in cold blood! First degree murder! Enough to have you executed, Kakashi."

Kakashi's face darkened with each and every remark Danzo made. He slammed his hand on the wall to release his growing wrath, warning the elder of the line he was stepping on. "However, I do not _degrade_ myself with unspeakable crimes during missions!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Aoi Daiki and his team are ruthless killers. They don't just kill their targets," he lowly spoke, "They torture them to death - _mentally_ and _physically_."

"You won't have anything to worry about, Kakashi, Itachi will be there."

"Yet, you choose _Aoi_ to govern the team?!"

Danzo gave a simple nod.

"If this is going to be more than a clean sweep, Danzo, I'll _personally_ handle Aoi."

"You'll go to such lengths?" Danzo grimaced, "You're even willing to _kill_ a fellow comrade?"

"He's _not_ a comrade of mine."

* * *

Kakashi soon returned with Danzo by his side, looking ever so displeased. Without Danzo's consent he motioned towards Itachi and pulled him away from the cluster of shinobi.

"Keep an eye on Team 3. Make sure you save the hostages _before_ them." he whispered in his teammate's ear, gripping his forearm to refrain him from moving. "And make sure that this _is_ a _clean sweep._"

"Consider it done, Senpai." Itachi obediently replied, drawing away.

Aoi sauntered towards Kakashi with a grim grin adumbrating his face. Upon reaching his superior he grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him towards him and to his attention. It didn't surprise him that Kakashi glared at him with his bloodthirsty sharingan. "I look forward to replacing you, Kakashi-senpai."

"Hn. You do know that you have to _fight_ me in order to get my position, right?"

Aoi drew closer, enough for Kakashi to feel his breath against his skin. His unwanted breach of personal space was enough for Kakashi to smell the aura of excitement around him. It assaulted his nostrils with its concentrated repulsive scent.

"And I shall have _pleasure_ in doing so." His lips curved into a flagitious smirk against the rim of Kakashi's ear, enough to repulse him.

Mixed in with the celled teams, Genma witnessed the overwhelming tension between two team leaders. The sensation which seemed to resonate throughout the expanse of their dark HQ was coated with nothing but _supremacy_.

"It's about time we set off!" Genma announced, intentionally breaking the tautness between two powerful ninjas. "Aoi-san, let's go."

Aoi patted Kakashi's stiff shoulder before he withdrew from his personal space. "Don't forget it, Kakashi. You'll be working for _me_ when I come back." he smirked, wielding his mask to conceal his growing mirth.

Kakashi kept his peripherals on the celled team until they took their leave. It wasn't until the remaining team, without an objective given, caught his vision. Shisui was stood in front of him with a blank expression.

Slowly, he was approached by the raven-haired Uchiha who meekly smiled at him. "Is there anything I can do for you, Kakashi-senpai?"

"Can you get me the files of the members of Team 3, Shisui?"

"Certainly, but may I ask why?"

Kakashi closed his eyes nonchalantly before it reopened with a fearsome flame burning within his orbs. "I need to do some research."

_**~O~O~**_

In the quarters of the Hokage Tower another issue arose.

"_These_ are the only files on Kakashi Hatake?!" Tsunade shrieked in disbelief. "There are only _two_ files about him! Surely there's more!"

Hiruzen massaged his temple, sighing, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. He had longed to have a peaceful start of the day without any abrupt interruptions, but with Tsunade's presence in his office he deemed it _impossible_.

"They are files from when his was still an adolescent to when he became an ANBU who took orders directly from me."

Hazel eyes tightened: she was unconvinced. "You expect me to believe, a man of _his_ caliber, has only _this_ amount of documents about his skills and missions?"

"...Tsunade-"

"Where are his _other_ files, Sarutobi-sensei?"

Another sigh slipped out of his lips. He had thought she would have become more tame because of the temporary disbandment of Team Hiruzen but it was on the contrary. He clicked his fingers casually, a silent calling for one of his ANBU bodyguards to summon themselves from the dark to his office. With a distinct poof of white smoke a masked woman formed next to Tsunade, inevitably earning a shocked shriek from her. "Hamaru, I'd like you to escort Tsunade to the underground library."

Hamaru nodded and gave her obeisance before she turned to look at the Senju princess whom she had startled by abruptly appearing next to her. "Tsunade-sama, please follow me."

"Wait." the Third abruptly ordered, drawing the attention of both women. "Hamaru, remove you mask. You are not in duty, you're only going to escort Tsunade underground."

"As you wish." Hamaru removed her mask with haste - no sign of hesitation. However, when her mask had been attached to her side she was befuddled by the Senju Princess' initial response. "Are you alright?"

'_She's beautiful..' _Tsunade quietly noted in her head.

Hamaru is a slender, tall ninja who would often be found garbed in her ANBU uniform, which vaguely outlined her slim figure. However, when unmasked, she's bound to capture _anyone's _attention, even the likes of the blonde Sannin. Her beauty was captured with her long, light-brown, wavy tendrils which framed her pristine, slender face to absolute perfection. The loose strands of her hair crowned her eyes and its rare color - her orbs had enough consistency of brown and red blended together to create an exotic shade - a soft red close to maroon. Despite her nude, pink lips personifying stoicism it crowned her pulchritude well.

"Y-Yeah," she barely gave clear response as she was deeply infatuated by her beauty, which rivaled or even _surpassed_ hers. "I'm fine."

The maskless ANBU gave a soft smile before she led the way out of the office. "This way, Tsunade-sama."

They walked in silence through the long, narrow corridor that bent accordingly with the structure of the building. Tsunade kept enough distance between her and Hamaru for her to idly recall the incident which occurred four nights ago. The infamous mismatched eyes had been imprinted into her mind, giving her the occasional shivers down her spine. His cool gaze and deep voice had enough poison to seduce her moral senses out of her. As much as it infuriated her, it had enamored her at the same time.

As much as his looks intimidated her, his skills which bellowed across the Five Nations shook her by surprise. Kakashi Hatake is a prodigy, a man with a large caliber of jutsus, the _only_ non-Uchiha who's able to wield the three-tomoe-sharingan - the list goes on. There was an over abundance about him that has scattered all over the Nations - from heroism to unimaginable fighting prowess - yet he remained a phantom at the same time. A man like him - so unpredictable, calculating, powerful - posed great threat more than Tsunade could even fathom. It was both agitating and challenging.

"Right this way, Tsunade-sama." the ANBU officer unlocked the wooden door which had since worn out since Tsunade's grandfather, the First Hokage, took charge.

Upon entering the dark and claustrophobic premise, Hamaru grabbed the torch which was prominently placed in its handle just by the door. She swiftly grabbed Tsunade by her right arm to halt her carefree actions. "Don't walk any further." she insisted, clutching harder onto her arm.

Slowly, she knelt down and placed the torch into the lining of the floor. "Brace yourself.."

The gas which occupied the deep straight line in the floor reacted with the flame which was deliberately placed into its crevice. With a violent roar, the shadowed, secluded room was ignited back to life at its sides, enlightening the room from the unknown to the known.

Tsunade calmed herself from the fright she had experienced and resumed to pace behind Hamaru who trudged in front of her. At the end of the hallway were titanic, wooden bookshelves filled with boxes, files, books and scrolls.

Hamaru turned back round to Tsunade, her eyes flickered with each strand of flame. "What are you looking for?"

"The files of Kakashi Hatake." she plainly replied, stepping closer to the bookshelves that overshadowed her very existence.

Without realizing it, the ANBU officer had flinched back. "K-Kakashi-kun?" she whispered, discrete enough for Tsunade not to take notice. "May I ask why?"

"It's confidential."

Hamaru led Tsunade to the other shelves which contained former ANBU officers who were in the team force called Phantom Four. She knelt down in front of the bookshelf and knocked along the wooden kick-plate until she was met by a hollow part. "Here it is..."

Tsunade's interest piqued and she knelt down beside the ANBU officer. "What is it?"

"The files of Kakashi Hatake." she responded, dragging a dusty cardboard box from underneath, labelled: _Top Secret_. "And others."

"Others?" she questioned, taking the box. "What do you mean?"

"There was a team called Phantom Four, two years ago. It consisted of four members, one of them was Kakashi. They were the shadowed assassination squad of the Leaf. They handled all situations no ordinary celled teams would."

Tsunade grabbed a torch from her pouch and shone it into the box, checking all of its contents briefly before she sealed it once more. "I'll need this. I'll return it to you soon."

"Of course."

The blonde Sannin stood up with the box in her possession, content with her findings. "What's your name?"

"Ru-Ruka Shoen."

"I'll see to it this box gets returned to you, Ruka." Tsunade smiled before she walked ahead of the ANBU member who remained in the room.

_**~O~O~**_

Shisui and, his teammate, Yuukimi, met with Kakashi in his private chambers with the files of the given targets. With a light knock, the Uchiha opened the door and handed in the green files to his superior.

Patiently, he waited for Kakashi to finish pondering through the sheaf of documents. "About this morning, Senpai, what did Aoi-san tell you?"

"He wants to replace me." he bluntly replied, eyes remained fixated on the files he scanned through. Satisfied with the information given he glanced at the Uchiha, "I appreciate this Shisui. Is there any way I could repay you?"

"Dango would be nice." he cheekily grinned, scratching the back of his head.

Kakashi chuckled back and opened one of the compartments of his desk, pulling out a box of dangos. "Mind you, this compartment is strictly for _Itachi_. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him."

"Heh. Itachi has his share, I don't think he'll mind having one less." Shisui replied, taking the box with a giddy expression. "Anything, else?"

"Yes. I want you to train those new recruits for a couple of minutes. I'm already late as it is, but I have important work to do. So I can't make it."

Shisui nodded, turned on his heels and walked out of the room with Yuukimi silently pacing behind him to close the door. When Kakashi heard the door close shut he opened the curtains which deprived sunlight seeping through his own office. He sighed and sat back down on his chair, reclining back in comfort.

"What is it, Yuukimi?" he asked with exasperation.

"Team 2 and 3 have reached their destination just half an hour ago. Do you have any orders to give?" she asked, walking closer to the desk.

Kakashi's eyes tightened briefly before he nodded. "Yes, I'd like you to send one of your summons to their destination. Report back to me with your findings."

"Of course. I'd like for you to meet me in the local-"

"Miso cafeteria?" he finished, hidden lips arching into a small smile. "The usual, I presume? I'll be there, tonight."

Yuukimi nodded, masked her identity and disappeared without trace with a small howl, leaving Kakashi to his own bidding. He took the four given files from Shisui and piled it up on the other three files he had compiled earlier. With a small jaded sigh he scanned through the first file.

_Yugao Uzuki_ \- A young woman who has straight purple hair, crowning her face and her brown eyes. Specializes in kenjutsu, ninjutsu and is a sensor-type. Kenjutsu techniques: Dance of the Crescent Moon and Hazy Moon Night.

Kakashi casted the file aside and reached out for the next. "Yugao Uzuki, a former apprentice of mine who followed me to the ROOT ." he mused briefly. "..Interesting girl."

_Yuukimi Astal_ \- Experienced and well trained. She has completed fifteen S rank missions - six by herself. Specialties: kenjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu. A timid woman who has radiant navy blue eyes and black hair.

_Nohagami Igami_ \- Skilled male sensor-type shinobi. Specializes in genjutsu and taijutsu. Description: tall, lean man with long, brown hair which is tied together.

"Yugao, Yuukimi, Nohagami and Shisui." he whispered, propping his chin on his palm with deliberate laziness. "Team 1 seems to be a balanced attack and defense group. Moreover they're all highly skilled, which can only mean they can become sporadic with their gears and formations."

The first celled group consisted of reliable people, both strong and intelligent. By having a balance of both defense and offense meant that they were a flexible group which can be assigned to any given mission. May it be an escort mission or an assassination mission, they're bound to complete it without much difficulty. They were just the team Kakashi wanted to work closely with.

Kakashi turned to the remaining files left. "Team 3.."

_Ayame Hiryo_ \- Cold blood killer. Completed thirty S rank missions; fifteen A rank; forty B rank... Specialties: taijutsu, ninjutsu and kenjutsu. Appearance: She has short, chocolate bob cut hair with cold red eyes, with a lean but masculine body frame made to dominate any type of mission.

_Mariko Kin_ \- Former female mercenary. Sensor-type. Specialties: silent assassinations and genjutsu. Appearance: Curvaceous, dark blue hair with black eyes.

_Hiro Keiki_ \- Expert in assassinations and interrogations. All-round genius. Appearance: short white hair with ice blue eyes; tall and masculine.

"Hiro Keiki.." Kakashi threw his file away from his desk with a hardened grimace. "Responsible for killing over a hundred _innocent_ victims whom he was assigned to _save. _Repulsive bastard_._"

The silver-haired officer tossed the unwanted files of Team 3 until he was left with one file. It remained prompt on his desk as if it was mocking him; with growing agitation, Kakashi grabbed the file.

_Aoi Daiki_ \- A prodigy who is armed with hundreds of techniques. The son of the main branch of the Daiki clan, and is in possession of a Kekkai genkai. Specialties: genjutsu, kenjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu. Appearance: Short raven hair which parts in the center of his forehead; dark purple eyes; extremely masculine.

With another moment of silence, Kakashi slammed the file back down on his desk and impaled Aoi's picture with a kunai. "...Take my place, huh?" he said mockingly.

"I'd like to see you try."

_**~O~O~**_

Team 2 and 3 remained on high ground, taking every single vantage point they could gain as they plotted their plan of infiltration. Aoi unfolded a fairly large map from his pouch and placed it on the ground. He pointed at their current location and dragged his finger down a centimeter away and pressed on a small area color-coded as red to represent a town.

He then unraveled another map on top of the previous one. The second map showed a clear bird's eye view of the town and its premise, informing them the best way to penetrate through the enemies' defense. "There are twelve houses in the area and one church further down South." he grabbed his marker from his pouch and circled their positions. "Team 3 shall take the lead with the infiltration. Team 2 you sha-"

Itachi muted his orders and walked back to the edge of the cliff, examining meticulously around his surroundings. Through his given perspective very little was revealed, especially if the town was situated underneath gigantic trees that looked _exactly_ like willow trees, except these tress grew out of proportion.

It couldn't be helped. In situations like these, he had no other choice but to unleash his clan's gift of sight. His obsidian orbs dramatically swirled, seeping out the color scarlet with the jet black three-tomoe-sharingan eventually swirling erratically to make its appearance. The infamous three point figure glowed in action and was as fierce as its user.

Everything became _stronger_, the colors became so vibrant yet so distinguishable; even through the monstrous trees deprived him of the view he wanted. Gentle tendrils of blue came into his peripherals: the enemies has been sighted.

_Six _in the South. _Four _in the East. _Eight _in the North. _Three _in the West. However, the center of the town contained a number of at _least _twenty enemies.

"Hey, Itachi, are you listening?" Aoi snapped from behind. "I'm not repeating my strategies again."

"There are a total of twenty-one enemies just at the border of the town," Itachi calmly stated, ignoring his leader's evident irritation. "And around twenty in the center. That's the hotspot, meaning our objective lies somewhere inside where some people may be held captive."

Both Genma and Tenzo stood up from the circle and walked beside Itachi with wide grins surfacing from their stoic faces. "What's your order, _Captain_?" they whispered, masking their identities.

"_Clean sweep_, just like Kakashi-senpai ordered. We charge through and hope we can extinguish the enemies before _they_ do." he wielded his saber to his side before his feet curled whilst his body began to pent up enough chakra at the bottom of his feet. "Let's go!"

Aoi and his team were too startled to react, or rather Team 2's rash decision was in his favor. As shrouds of dark clouds began to shadow the sun, Team 3 masked themselves and enveloped their armored bodies with matching black cloaks.

"Don't kill them," their captain ordered, stepping forward to the edge of the cliff. "We'll show Team 2 the terror we inflict on our prey."

Itachi's chakra-coated-feet skidded down the cliff's edge with tremendous speed. His companions fell behind him as they lost control of their chakra from their feet, resulting for them to tumble and roll down.

Genma's arm's flesh began to tear against the violent friction caused between him and the rigid cliff. He watched Tenzo get back on his feet, but his body refused to copy his comrade. "Damn it all.." he cursed whilst his hands and feet became fueled with enough blue chakra to stop him from falling any further.

The tip of his fingers began to bleed and his nails became awfully crooked. At the right moment Genma pushed himself off from the cliff, startling both Itachi and Tenzo that they halted to watch him turn one hundred eighty degrees in midair with a steel string in his possession.

"He wouldn't..!" Tenzo's mouth gaped open whereas Itachi merely smirked at their comrade.

Upon seeing one of the branches from a gigantic tree he threw a shuriken at the branch before he threw a kunai, that's connected to the steel string, through the center of its hole to create a small swing for him.

Itachi watched Genma push his body forward to reach the top of the branch. He swung on top of the branch with a grin plastered onto his face. The Uchiha prodigy stopped his chakra control and jumped on the grass-filled surface to meet with Genma who jumped down from the tree with absolute ease.

They were surrounded by humongous willow trees with vines wrapped around its body and its branches, omitting an ominous aura which could only indicate that they're presence wasn't favored by the untamed wilderness.

Tenzo followed seconds later, unscathed to say the least.

"You're quite reckless, Genma." the wood-user noted gaining a small grin from him. "Not bad. You're still quite crafty."

"Can you _not_ say it like I'm an old man who just learnt how to use the toilet?" Genma deadpanned.

"I wish I coul-"

Drops of water began pouring on their flesh, but it wasn't natural rain. It was drenched it chakra - _Aoi's_ chakra. Each drop which had made contact on their flesh transmitted back to Aoi; his jutsu identifies both enemies and allies from a distance using rain.

"Aoi's team have made their move; it's time we made ours." Itachi slashed his katana through the uncut grass before he knelt down within it whilst he gave silent signals for his comrades.

They slithered through the tall grass with lightweight footsteps and controlled breathing. Upon reaching the end of their trails their eyes feasted upon _six _enemies. Everyone in their checkpoint seemed idle and carefree, oblivious to the fact _death _had just become the inevitable fate for them.

It was an advantage for Itachi's team.

On Itachi's signal his companions climbed the trees beside them with their chakra control. Once they had reached the top of the tree they perched themselves on another branch which extended closer to the enemies. They shadowed their chosen targets, silently equipping themselves for the moment to strike.

'_Two enemies: one meter away from me. Three by the campfire. One behind the tree, taking a leak.' _Itachi mentally noted, adjusting his sword into the palm of his hand, ready to slash the enemies as an opening.

With great haste, the dark-haired Uchiha advanced forward, thrust his katana in the man's chest on the left and threw his kunai into the other enemy's neck, bursting his windpipe. His gloved hand covered the man's mouth to muffle his screams to a mere minimum, buying enough time for his teammates to jump down.

Once he had pulled his katana out from the man's chest, both Genma and Tenzo had swooped down with a clean shot of their enemies' heads. Blood red splattered around their surroundings but they remained stoic despite their bloody assassination.

"I'll take care of this man." Itachi quietly said as they waited for the survivor to finish with his _business._

"Pity. That man is going to die right _after _he finished relieving himself." Genma shook his head, biting back his laugh.

Itachi grabbed the man by the neck, slammed him to the tree's bark and activated his sharingan onto him. The man's orbs trembled then reciprocated with the spiraling sharingan, unknowingly becoming hypnotized.

"Where are the Hidden Leaf medical ninjas you have captured?" he sternly asked, pressing his forearm harder against his throat, threatening to crush his trachea.

"Underneath the third house with a steel door." the man mumbled unconsciously, eyes rolling back. "Tw-Two have already died..."

Their captain withdrew from the enemy after he had whispered inaudible orders into his ear. He turned around and began to walk away nonchalantly further into the woods, stoic. However, his companions remained glued on their positions with their eyes and mouths gaping wide open as they witnessed the enemy stab _his own _kunai into _his_ throat. A bloody and forced suicide by the cruel act of Itachi's genjutsu. Although his Sharingan prowess can be breathtaking at times, infatuating to witness, it bore a dark power which can contort the user's illusion into reality in a flicker of an eye.

"Let's get a move on!" Itachi ordered from afar, drawing their attention back their mission once more.

* * *

_With team 3..._

"Looks like I was right, there _are_ eight enemies here." Mariko smirked, tracing her fingers on the ground to sense out more chakra before she stood back up to look at the enemies who stood still with fright. "I guess we can have some fun."

"What are you waiting for then, Mariko?" Ayame asked, peering over her shoulder.

Mariko joined both of her hands together with only her index and middle fingers left unfolded. Her deadly eyes creased with delight when more helplessness radiated around the atmosphere. "It's time for you to sleep, dogs." she whispered with a hushed tone as her body began to multiply into shreds of paper.

Their enemies took several steps back with overwhelming desperation to escape the marathon of papers that had began to circle around them with immense speed, enough to make them sick. After her normal body form had started forming again, six ninjas had fallen unconscious. Two remained just as shaken as before.

"What the hell?!" one of them shrieked, kunai trembling in his grip. "Wake up you bastards, there are enemies in sight!"

"Genjutsu is a powerful tool, fools; once used right, it can be _very deadly. _I was being generous, you know." her dark eyes tightened with disgust. "You _should_ have just slept."

"What did you say, you bitc-"

"She's right.." Hiro interrupted, walking slowly towards them with dark purple chakra emitting out of his system. His white hair began to darken in a shade of black whilst his nails began to protrude out in a _sharper_ manner. "You _should_ have slept." black and silver chakra started to coat his hand per step he took.

"Oh, this will be very beautiful to see!" Ayame laughed.

"Wait-Wha-He's a... _monster_!" they bellowed across the forest.

Hiro smirked before he dashed towards them with inhumane speed: the first enemy he managed to take hold off had his guts ripped out of his system; the second, and remaining man, felt his hand on his head with his nails digging into his scalp before it finally _penetrated_ through his skull.

"_Indeed_, I am." he whispered.

His feet landed on the ground after he had taken the head of his target. "...It sickens me that they consider themselves ninjas. They just _stood_ there, pathetic bastards." he scoffed, throwing his victim's head up into the air over and over again before he finally let it rest on his palm.

Icy blue eyes began to spiral into a strong ruby red hue as his hand grappled the head which contained last-moment terror. His unfortunate victim's face was terror-ridden - the horror which screamed in his eyes served as hard evidence. "Pitiful man." he mouthed before the head dispersed into tiny fragments of skin, muscles and bones.

"All the enemies don't pose much threat to us." Ayame finally whined after Hiro's bloody execution.

Mariko shrugged apathetically, "That's because we're far _more_ superior."

_BOOM!_

A catastrophic impact from afar shook the ground violently with reinforced forest fire starting further in the East and West. They stared ahead after they had sensed the all-too-familiar-monstrous chakra dawning closer to their force.

"I'm sorry for the delay." Aoi started, jumping right in front of his team, bloodied and stained. "Checkpoints from the West to the East have been eliminated."

"What do you propose we do with _these_?" Ayame asked, specifically pointing at the unconscious enemy shinobi lying flat on the ground.

"Bring them with us. We'll _finish _them in the heart of their town."

* * *

Rain had become more rapid, forced and violent, with the soil's humidity it would seem that in order to have a perfect breach: they would have to be cautious and quick on their feet. Translucent drops caressed the edges of their distinguishable masks vigorously, leaving short and long trails of silver linings on the porcelain masks.

Genma clicked his tongue, his patience was on a whim. He and his teammates remained hidden behind the trees situated eight meters from the path to the town. "Itachi, what are we waiting for?" he quietly snapped, keeping his back completely rested on the tree whilst he peered at his enemies.

Twin sharingans burst back into life, feasting greedily on his chakra. The dark premise suddenly burned back to life with hot and cold colors wrapping around the original, mundane surrounding. "Five lie in wait for us." he said in a quiet tone. "Tenzo, back me up."

"And what do I do?!" Genma rolled his eyes when Itachi ignored his question. "Figures." he unmasked himself and his teeth clamped onto his senbon before he began biting onto it harshly.

Tenzo fell behind Itachi as he leaped up into the air with his dominant hand stretched out. "Wood style: Shower Pins!"

The first two ninjas were deeply penetrated all over their bodies by thin, wooden, sharp pins projected by the wood-user from behind. This allowed Itachi to jumped on top their body, like a launch pad, to gain more area to the survivors. With lithe motions he took out the final three guards who deprived them space from the heart of the town.

Itachi peered over his shoulder, raised three fingers up and folded them for each second. When his third finger folded down he mouthed the order: _move out._

Their quiet assassination spiraled into a loud bloodbath in the center of the town. The three separated ways to cover the area of the town in a smaller amount of time. They breached and searched every single compound in search of any hostages whilst they killed anyone who became inferior to their mission.

Itachi raced through the thin alleyways before he dashed up on the rooftop to gain better access of the town. He closed his eyes briefly and sensed that Tenzo's chakra was beginning flare out in the distance with great intensity. Somewhere in the West wing Genma's chakra spewed, which can only mean he was engaged in a ninjutsu battle.

_"There's been a breach! Fucking ANBU officers have infiltrated our town!"_

"Shit!" Genma screamed against the searing pain, burning into his flesh. He dropped down on the ground and ran his trembling fingers on his upper-thigh: his skin was burnt and there was a gaping, deep hole that his fingers plunged into. He hissed through the pain as he pulled his fingers out once more, agitating his open flesh.

As he tried to tend to his injury smoke had began to linger around his surroundings. The white-silk fog thick with consistency poisoned his peripherals, and without any visual prowess he was at a _major_ disadvantage.

"You're mine!" a prominent silhouette appeared before Genma with a longsword, it would seem. His sword swung down but Genma managed to flip back on his feet, not the most lithesome of his movements but it was enough to dodge away from the fatal attack.

Heavy footsteps crushed through the ground with every intent to ram his sword into Genma. "Have you ever been discrete with your killings?" he asked sardonically as he spurred towards the enemy with an explosion tag.

"Quit mocking me!" he growled, recklessly swinging his sword to the left. "You're a dead man!"

Genma slid down on the ground, using the wetness to his advantage, so he could slap the explosion tag onto the enemy's armor without him noticing. After he had slapped the tag onto his enemy he kicked him on the stomach to buy him enough time to drag himself out of the collision from the explosion.

"Agh, fuck!" he gasped when he felt the impact from the explosion sweep him off his feet. His body involuntary dragged itself across the fogged land until his back crashed against firm concrete. The impact had left him vulnerable and dazed, open for any possible attacks.

"Wood style: Laughing Buddha Hands!" one dozen of titanic sized hands made out of wood surfaced from the ground, crashing and slamming the enemies near and far.

A familiar figure from the near-distance made Tenzo drop his guard, _completely_. "Itachi, hey, have you seen Genma? We need to regroup again!"

Strangely, Itachi didn't reply.

"Itach-" Tenzo had come to a sudden realization, but it was _too _late. "That's a henged shadow clo-" he clapped his hands together, hoping he would, somehow, negate the power that was coming. "Wood style: Ultimate Gate!"

As his ultimate defense formed the explosion gave off, blowing his incomplete shield out of the way. Tenzo was pushed by the harsh explosion, and much to his dismay, his incomplete shield began to disassemble against the ferocity of the explosion. Despite his constant struggles he could only watch parts of _his own_ shield launch at him: the first large piece embedded itself into his shoulder blade whilst smaller bits impaled into his shin and forearm.

Once his back slammed back down on the rigid ground his body became completely useless. Tenzo's onyx eyes began to wither alongside his body, it was reasonable considering his current situation. "Damn it... I can't move my arms or my legs." he cursed through his bloodied mouth. "Move, goddammit!"

His fingers merely twitched before he saw another shadow clone henged like Itachi roaming aimlessly with an explosion tag set to explode any second. Tenzo's eyes flared open, desperate to move out of the way. "Fuck!" he vociferated. _'Move... Move. Move!'_

_BOOM!_

"This will never end!" Itachi growled as he slashed and diced through his opponents with utter ease. His three-pointed sharingan began to swirl, bend, reverse anti-clockwise then rapidly rotate, meticulously analyzing his foes' movements.

He slammed his kunai into one's throat, plunging its tip into his neck. His spare hand that held his katana tightened around its handle before it swung forward to the other enemies. The back of his neck's hair began to raise. The thick fog extended towards him, like strands of silver reaching out. Swiftly he slammed down an explosion tag on the ground before he disappeared from the battlefield and onto a tiled rooftop. He silently watch his enemies fall into disarray before attempting to flee from the radius of the explosion. It was nothing but a fruitless attempt. The tag sizzled and set off with a mixture of ember and grey, engulfing all of the remaining enemies.

Itachi joined his hands together whilst his feet parted. When his eyes flickered with ember an outburst of blue flames pushed the white fog away with its dense pressure. Once the fog had been pushed away from the town, it revealed the damage caused by their warfare. Itachi's eyes widened as he scanned left to right for Genma and Tenzo. Titanic craters from the explosions; houses which had collapsed from the collision; bits of tiles, wood and stones scattered the area along with bloodied corpses.

However, there was no sign of his comrades.

"Pull it out _slowly._" Tenzo said as he clutched onto the fabric of his damp pants. "Hey.. are you _even_ listening?"

Genma clicked his tongue once more. Ever since he had saved Tenzo from his doom he had always whined and tried to order him about. His hand clasped onto the rigid edges of the piece of wood that had penetrated into Tenzo's shoulder blade. "No, I'm not." he replied, "I have treated all of your wounds, and you have done nothing but whine."

"Well you don-" Tenzo's hands grabbed a fistful of his pants as his nose and eyes flared in inhumane proportions. He felt the rough edges of the wood scratch against his tissues, it tore and inflicted more damage than before. "_Genma!_"

"Now, shut up, this is a disinfectant." his teammate poured its contents from the bottle onto the white cloth before he firmly pressed it against his wound, drawing another inscrutable scream from the wood-user.

Tenzo glared at Genma as he weaved dissolvable threads into his skin to close the open wound. "Honestly, you need to work on your communication." he sighed deeply as a sign of relief. The tension that welled up in his fingers started to dissipate slowly. Eventually he uncoiled his limbs from the fabric of his pants.

"And you need to stop trusting random shadow clones that the enemy's whipped up." Genma scolded, cutting the excess of thread.

"So this is where you two are."

They both raised their heads, automatically locking eyes with Itachi. "Hey, Itachi! You made it!" Tenzo smirked, not taking Genma's previous scolding to account by feigning deafness.

Genma expressed a smirk. "So, do you have any wounds that needs tending?"

Itachi shook his head before he glanced around. "Listen, I just saw Aoi and his team take our objectives into the church. We need to move in as fast as we can."

"Do you have anything in mind?" the wood-user raised a brow.

"I _do_ have a plan."

* * *

Team 2 infiltrated the church by climbing up to the bell tower which connected to the religious building. Discretely, they leashed their chakras so that _even Aoi_ wouldn't be detect them from above. They were perched on the beams, that supported the roof, as they kept a keen eye on Team 3 and the hostages.

Genma's brow arched when he saw Hiro grab an awfully familiar woman with matching jet black hair and eyes clad in a kimono dress. Quickly, he glared at Tenzo who shared the same look as he had. "Isn't that _Dan's_ niece?!" he shrieked.

Aoi's eyes flickered back to life at the sight of the young, timid woman with short black tresses with eyes to match with it. Her face alone resembled an old comrade of his, which made him more cautious. "Woman, what's your name?" arms crossed whilst he leaned on one of the pillars adjacent from her.

At first Shizune remained silent with a deadly glare shadowing her fearless face, until Mariko kicked her down on the ground to pull her hair back by force. "I believe he asked for your name." a sharp kunai pressed on her neck, threatening to draw blood out if she refused to cooperate.

"S-Shizune.." her sentence unintentionally trailed off.

Hiro's eyes widened then creased with sheer joy. "Dan's pathetic little niece, huh?" he grabbed the collar of her dress, pulling her back up on her feet. "I _loathe_ your uncle. That bastard fucked up my reputation."

Genma's eyes dilated with fury at the sight of Shizune being assaulted against another pillar. A strike swiped across her face before a weak chakra-coated fist rammed deep in her stomach. Subconsciously, his teeth gritted together as his nails dug into the thick wooden beam. "How long do we have to stand here?!"

Itachi's eye scanned left and right through the hostages that were forced to kneel down in a straight line, with their wrists binded together by chakra chains. There were six women, twelve men and five children in the line. "If you include those six enemy ninjas that they've captured; we have a handful."

"I don't care!" Genma growled, leaping from the beam and down to the ground with his hand seals already complete. "Aren't you back me up here?!"

The team leader jumped down and quickly weaved seals beyond ordinary speed. "Fire style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!" an array of circular ball flames scorched past Genma, indicating that it was up to _him_ to deliver the next move.

The brown-haired ANBU smirked, "I knew I could count on you!" he joined his hands together and took a deep breather. "Wind Style: Vacuum Blaster!" an impressive amount of strong gale combined with Itachi's fire-style posed to be a formidable attack.

Its speed heightened with such velocity its flames became more violent, alerting Team 3. Ayame dashed in front with her hands already joined together. "Water style: Hydro Cannon!"

Her water against the combination of Itachi and Genma's collided together with a bang of thick, grey smoke that blinded Ayame briefly. Before she could fully recuperate, Genma had already set foot on the ground with his hand curled into a fist. At the right moment his hand opened and clasped onto her neck before he slammed her towards Hiro.

_"Bastards!"_ he vociferated when his foot dug deep into her stomach muscles, making twist in the most unpleasant manner that it drew a handful of blood out from her mouth. The impact was powerful enough that her body crashed into several church benches until she finally burrowed down on the ground.

Hiro wielded his saber out and attempted to slash forward to Genma, but instead his blade met Itachi's when the Uchiha had intercepted his attack midair. "Damn you..!" the collision between their weapons caused a recoil for Hiro, his tanto flew upwards until it embedded into a wooden pillar, just adjacent to their position.

Upon his defeat, Itachi stabbed his foot with a kunai before his katana slashed into his upper torso's mid-section, "You disgust me." he whispered, kicking Hiro a few meters away from him.

"You're going to pay for that!" Mariko growled, running towards the Uchiha with exceptional speed.

"Wood style: Grand Prison!" Tenzo slammed both of his palms on the red carpet, summoning a big enough box to case Mariko inside with ease. She pounded, sliced and diced to break through the wooden walls but it regenerated back per strike - rendering her attack _useless_.

"You guys really don't know your limit..." Aoi menacingly whispered. "Let me teach you a lesson."

Even with Itachi's fully-developed sharingan, Aoi's speed couldn't be monitored nor predicted. It was lightning fast: Aoi punched Genma in the gut before he elbowed his body to the marble altar; Tenzo's body looked as if it floated by its own accord before he was kicked back to the entrance door with tremendous power.

Once Aoi's feet touched the ground he dashed towards Itachi. In order to dodge and delay the inevitable, his twin sharingan locked with his purple orbs, momentarily casting a genjutsu onto him to slow his movements down. When there was an opening in his attack, Itachi rolled on the ground to dodge the swing span of his sword.

Before Itachi could retaliate back, the tip of the sword was _already_ harshly pressed against his throat - drawing blood out from his thin skin. They remained in that position momentarily until, eventually, Aoi cracked a grin. "I'll make a deal with you, Uchiha, I'll let you have one of these ninjas..." he drew his weapon away. "But, in return, I want you to kill a man, woman and a child - and don't _think_ about rushing it - make it _satisfying._"

The Uchiha glared with trepidation, a twist in his features showed overwhelming disgust. Nevertheless, he didn't voice it - he didn't need to, the lines on his face and the grimace which surfaced, spoke volumes all by itself. "...Why?" he finally inquired.

"Simple," Aoi licked the sharp edge of his katana. "It's a fun game to play."

"Don't do it, Itachi..." Genma managed to say with the last ounce of he energy he has. "Don't-"

"Five seconds to decide."

_One..._

Itachi surveyed the hostages.

_Two..._

His hand balled into a fist.

_Three..._

They all gawked at him, hopeful that he'd choose to save them.

_Four... _

His limbs moved by itself.

_Five... _

Itachi quickly approached Shizune.

She attempted to up at him, befuddled. He was a coalescence of black hair and pale skin, blurred through her wet lashes, nameless. "Take my hand." Was all he said as he stretched out his gloved hand. Shizune could only dry her tear-streaked cheeks and attempt to make herself as small as possible. A glimpse of thin lips, delicately curved, was the most she could see, too shy to meet his gaze.

Itachi knelt down in front of her and swiftly ran the pad of his thumb against her cheek, wiping the remaining tears away. "Take deep breaths, Shizune." He unfastened his short black cloak and engulfed her with it, tugging at its lapels to make it more prominent on her petite body.

Shizune grabbed the lapels of his cloak, indulging in the warmth it provided. "...Thank you." was all her soft, timid voice could form.

He smiled softly then pulled away, turning back around to Aoi with steeled eyes. "W-Who do I have to kill?" he asked, retracting his sharingan back to dull, onyx orbs.

"Anyone."

Tentatively, with the greatest regret already drowning him inside, Itachi pushed the closest woman down on the floor so he straddle her before she could attempt to flee. His eyes tightened as his arms rose up, the edge of his sword gleamed downwards on an innocent woman.

"H-Have mercy! No-No, spare me! Please!" she pleaded relentlessly, shifting and wriggling underneath the ANBU Uchiha. "Don't you have a heart?!" tears clouded her eyes which tightened when she noticed that his movement didn't recline. "I'm begging you!"

"I'm sorry... there's nothing I can do."

Itachi's face crumpled as his teeth gritted together with his eyes closed shut.

"Don't do thi-"

Shizune's face paled. Her eyes gaped in shock-horror. The cloak in her grip dropped. "Please, don't do this, Itac-!"

His sword struck down on her stomach. He began to stab her - _repeatedly_.


	3. Shrouded Past

A/N: This isn't another update for those who have read chapter 1. I just felt like it _should _be cut into two pieces, because it's _too _long. Separating them is the best option. I tried to cut the _15k_ chapter in the _most_ appropriate place. I hope this minor problem _won't_ happen again... I'll now have this word amount limit from now on. So that my chapters won't extend into monstrous chunks that might fry your eyes (not literally).

This chapter goes to **McDiggin'It, **another awesome author! Seriously, her works (the ones I've read) are hysterical. XD

_Sorry for any mistakes_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

* * *

**Chapter 2: Shrouded Past**

"What do you mean you _gave_ it?!" Hiruzen snapped, rising from his chair, unable to refrain himself.

Ruka remained firm against the Hokage's stern glare. "Tsunade-chan needed it - you told me to assist her."

"But those files are _confidential_!"

"So is Tsunade-chan's mission. If this is about Kakashi Hatake, then it's best she gets every single bit of information about him - he's dangerous!"

"I know he is."

"Then why are you opposing my decision with this, Hokage-sama?"

"Because those files.. they have-_just_ retrieve the box back by dawn tomorrow. Understood?"

"H-Hai!"

_**~O~O~**_

As Tsunade made her way back to the Senju residence, she was met by Gray who happened to walk in the same direction as her. They engaged in a telepathic conversation with their eyes before they broke down with sweet smiles at each other. Gray hopped to her side and took the box off her possession, freeing her from the heavy burden.

"What's with this box, Tsunade?" he asked, tracing his index finger on the red painted words. "Top Secret, huh?"

"Yeah, and that's why I can't tell you." she drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes back, stating the obvious.

"Fair enough." Gray replied, glancing back at his petite companion who remained quiet despite his presence. "This isn't the way to your apartment. Have you moved back into the Senju residence?"

"Temporarily. Just for a couple of months, so I can be with Nawaki before I disappear and get called out again."

"I see. Well then, I'll walk you there."

"No-No, you don't have to!" she shrieked, clutching onto his arm. "Your house is up ahead, don't waste your time walking with me."

Gray chuckled and took Tsunade's hand off his jounin sleeve. "Talking to you is barely a waste of time. Besides, we haven't seen each other for quite some time."

"Since the masquerade."

"Yes, and that is why I _want_ to catch up with you." he continued, holding her hand, as he led her towards the Senju residence. "Speaking of the masquerade: did you know the Kazekage hid in the East because he didn't trust the Hokage?"

Tsunade nodded, "Kakashi's team managed to track the Kazekage down."

"I don't trust that man." Gray lowly said, eyes stone cold. "Have engaged contact with him?"

"We occasionally have a conversation or two, but that's because he's the guard in our residence."

"Don't grow comfortable around him."

"I know," Tsunade replied, freeing her hand from his clasp. "You don't have to remind me."

Before they could extend their conversation, their eyes were met by the Senju district and its wooden pillars with the crest of the Senju carved into it. Small shops occupied the vast space between the entrance and the Main Branch's home. Left and right had shops lively blooming with new items on sale, keeping the blithesome atmosphere alive.

Both Gray and Tsunade walked through the stone paved path, silently appreciating the mood that wrapped and welcomed them. Though the Senju district's area wasn't as vast as the Uchiha's, due to their clan's rapid number decrease in the past, it was just as occupied as its rival.

One Senju member walked over to Tsunade and bowed respectively. "Tsunade-hime, your father wants to talk to you."

"I'm on my way there." Tsunade replied; "Thanks."

Gray cleared his throat to catch her attention. "I take it you still haven't had a _proper_ conversation with your father?"

"Since he nearly got Nawaki killed in training? No, I haven't." she coldly answered, pacing towards their residence.

"It's an obligation for the Main Branch's family to have a powerful heir! It's mandatory, Tsunade." Gray paused to recollect his thoughts, "You can't blame your father for trying to fulfill his duty."

"It's also _his_ responsibility to take care of his son!" she shot back bitterly, "Nawaki will improve in his own time. I don't appreciate _you_ taking my _father's_ side, Gray."

"I'm sorry, but sooner of later you _will_ have to forgive your father. Nawaki has."

"Nawaki is _naive_ and his endless hopes to impress father has blinded him."

"Listen-"

"I'd like it if we dropped this _now_, Gray." she insisted.

"Alright. I'm sorry."

* * *

Situated closely to the Senju shrine was the Main Branch's home. In the distance, away from the ruckus of the shops near the entrance of their district, the residence of Tsunade's family became a clear view. Its front surrounding bare from trees, only short grass paved away by the neatly aligned stone pathway occupied the spacious area.

The large two story traditional Japanese house of the Senju showed clearly with walls, framing around its area, creating a large square shape to accommodate their private training grounds and other essentials for leisure.

Tsunade pushed the wooden door open and walked towards her house, dragging her feet with each motion. She stepped up the wooden steps that led to two large sliding doors made out of paper squares glued on a wooden lattice.

Upon reaching the front porch of her home, Tsunade decided not to enter through the front door and resumed to walk down the wooden platform which was elevated from the ground by erecting columns from flat ground, and reinforced with banisters to make it more prominent.

She slid the door open and left her shoes outside before she stepped in on the mats, made out of woven rush grass, that had dominated the Senju's private sitting area. Before she could motion for her companion to quietly follow her in, the door from the inside opened in front of her.

"Father," she began, bitterly. "I thought you were with clients today."

Raiko, despite feeling raw rage from his very own daughter, smiled genuinely. "Already dealt with, dear." he replied, pecking her cheek with a soft kiss before his attention drew to Gray who was still stood outside. "Gray Teishu, in the flesh, welcome."

"I just helped, Tsunade, on her way here. I don't mean to intrude."

"Nonesense. Come in." Raiko welcomed, glancing back at his daughter who kept her glare, that could potentially set him go stone, away. He drew closer, grabbing her arm with tenderness. "We have to stop this, Tsunade." he whispered to her ear.

"Then I advise you to _stop_ treating Nawaki like a toy for entertainment." she bit back, low and hush.

Raiko flinched in the most minuscule detail. He sighed, giving his daughter a rueful smile. Although he held an exterior of a man defined by raw power and dominance, he held sympathy for his family - particularly his beloved children. He has taken great pride in their accomplishments over the years, although some were trivial, he took pleasure in them. However, as Nawaki began to grow older, the responsibility of shaping him into the Clan Head became imminent.

In order to achieve this, Raiko needed to be relentless with his training with his son. Of course, he was still thirteen years old, but that didn't excuse him from being pushed to his limit. But since he has a protective sister; it was only natural for her to harbor potent hate against her _own_ father after she witnessed their ruthless training together. Nawaki bled, cried but persisted during battle - a true soldier - but Tsunade couldn't stomach such a grotesque sight. She loved her brother too much to allow him to continue to hurdle through a suicidal course.

Gray entered the premise, barefooted. "Tsunade, where shall I put this?"

"Upstairs. Let's go." she slipped out of her father's grip and led the way to the second floor, until she was stopped by another Senju member.

"Nee-chan!" Nawaki exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her waist with his face nuzzled in her stomach.

"Nawaki!" Tsunade smiled, ruffling his chocolate hair as she knelt down to meet his gaze. "How have you been?"

"Awesome!" he replied cheerfully, with a matching grin to prove it. "I've gotten stronger!"

"That's good." she grinned, feigning ignorance of his bandaged hands and bruised cheek. Lovingly she caressed his cheek, drawing him in so she could kiss him on the forehead. The Senju heir's face immediately reddened, streaks of red sprayed across his face, completely embarrassed.

Gray watched and examined the Senju heir who was garbed in a dark teal poncho top and light green pants. He felt his own lips slowly shred a smile as he watched Nawaki's distinct permanent blushes deepen with each compliment and smiles his sister gave.

"Listen, Nawaki, Nee-chan is busy at the moment. But," she managed to add to stop Nawaki from pouting. "I'll be here to watch you train with your Kakashi-senpai."

"Okay! I can show you and Kakashi-nii just how good I am!" Nawaki cheekily smiled at his sister who ruffled his hair messily. His interest then piqued when he saw Gray standing in front of him next to his father. "Gray-san! Hello!"

"All grown up now, aren't we, Nawaki?" Gray walked over and sincerely smiled before he brushed his way passed the child. "See you later, Nawaki."

"Yup!"

Once they had climbed the stairs, Tsunade walked through the spacious corridor and opened the door for Gray to drop the box in her room. To Gray's surprise Tsunade's room only consisted of a king sized bed, few drawers, one wardrobe and one bedside table. Very little amount of furniture to accommodate her extremely hollow room.

"This is quite... _empty_." he commented, dropping the box on the bed.

"Well, I just moved back in. And I'm only living here temporarily, so I don't have to fill my room up again." Tsunade replied, walking to Gray's side before she placed her hand on his bicep. "Thanks for helping me."

"Always a pleasure." he smiled, fully turning to meet her gaze. "Come and have lunch with me." his hands delicately took hers as a kind gesture.

"..I-I can't." she stuttered, eyes tracing back to the box. "As you can see I have work to do."

Gray spaced himself from the blonde Senju, "That's alright." he shoved his sweating palms in his pockets, face downcast with a forlorn expression. "Well, so do I actually."

"Oh?"

"Dan went missing two weeks ago, didn't he?" he stopped abruptly when Tsunade's gaze failed to meet his. "I'm looking into further reports to see whether he's KIA or MIA. We have already dispatched several units to look for him."

"What will you do?"

"Tsunade, _truthfully_, the search has been ongoing for a week now. This will be the day that will decide whether he's KIA or still MIA. If he's ruled as MIA then the search will continue for two more weeks."

He clutched onto Tsunade's shoulder to give silent comfort before he left the room. "I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

_**~O~O~**_

_In the Uchiha Residence..._

In the Main Branch's quarters Shisui was left to babysit Itachi's little brother who grew to be a handful. They were sat in the front porch with Sasuke's toys overwhelming the space, leaving only the steps for Shisui to sit on.

"Shisui-nii!" Sasuke happily wailed when the older Uchiha picked him up from the ground to place him prominently on his sturdy shoulders. "Woooww!" the child was awestruck with his new found perspective on high ground. Innocent beady eyes feasted in the beauty of his clan's district, oblivious to the ugly truth which lurked in the darkness.

"Now, let's get some dango!" Shisui said and Sasuke happily backed him up by pointing forward to the local shops. "How many would you want, Sasuke-kun?"

The cheery adolescent raised two fingers up and shouted, "Six!"

"Sasuke-kun, that's _two_." he corrected and the new member of the Uchiha clan grumbled and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He winced at the pain but his hands didn't leave Sasuke's ankles. "And _that_ hurts," he grunted.

"Mean, Shisui-nii!"

"I'm mean? Wha-"

"Who wants dango?" another voice interrupted, drawing Sasuke's full attention. "Oh, I see you're the babysitter now, Shisui." he deadpanned.

Itachi was no longer appareled in the standard ANBU uniform, but in his normal black, tall collared shirt and plain pants. His eyes stared at them blankly, blinking several times with a plain expression. Shisui silently screwed a scrutinizing glare at him, seeing the unseen. Although, the younger Uchiha was wearing a passive expression then, Shisui gave a look of empathy as if he could see through his facade. That man, as tough as he acts, really does harbor emotions. By the slight redness in his eyes, he could tell, he had been crying.

"That's because you're _late_!" Shisui finally scowled, keeping up the charade. He rolled his eyes before Sasuke meticulously began to break free from his loosened grip, eager to run up to his brother.

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan!" Sasuke grew impatient and irrational with his movements that Shisui had no choice but to bring him back on the ground.

Itachi knelt and welcomed Sasuke in his arms before it protectively wrapped around his body. "Now, Sasuke, were you a good boy?" he soothingly asked, patting his head.

The child nodded, round eyes twinkling with innocence. "Yup!"

"If you don't count - the fact - that he _nearly tore_ off my hair." the other Uchiha stated, gaining a glare from Sasuke that only made him chuckle. He still has so many years to go to perfect a menacing glare, because as of now it was cute and innocent.

"Shisui.." Itachi spoke, standing back up. "Dango?" he raised the white plastic bag filled with dango boxes.

"Hey, don't you think you went overboard with your purchases?"

"You can _never_ go overboard with dangos."

A suspicious twinkle in his eyes appeared.

* * *

By the time Itachi had subtly manipulated Sasuke back into his own room with his toys to occupy his hollow feeling; Shisui had already ravished two full boxes of dango.

Itachi had caught his own friend slapping and swallowing the dangos into his mouth with quick succession. Yet, he remained quiet and sat down next to him on the wooden steps, and offered a new box for them to eat. They both shared a smirk.

Their friendship couldn't be any simpler. Food - preferably dango - can do _so _much for them.

"What happened in the mission?" Shisui asked, tossing the final stick of dango into the empty box.

Itachi opened the last box and placed it between them. His lips pursed slightly as his eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought of his heinous deed. The fact that the choice was forced upon him didn't excuse him from such an abhorrent event. "Our search and rescue mission turned into a bloodbath; orchestrated by Aoi Daiki. We did manage to salvage one innocent life - Shizune Kato.

"That repulsive bastard!"

"They planned on killing her, too." Itachi added, taking another stick of dango. "After they have their way with her, of course."

Shisui felt a cold shudder down his spine and his face became pale. "Are you _serious_?"

"They kill, torture, and rape for their own pleasure."

"But isn't Shizune _Dan's_ niece?!" he received a nod with blunt obsidian eyes softly glancing his way. "So _why_?!"

"_That's exactly _why," Itachi's face grew serious, "Dan _single-handedly _took down Aoi and his team, remember? He burned their reputation to the ground when he defeated them."

"What's Kakashi-senpai going to say about this?" Shisui asked, "We know he _hates _this kind of way of killing targets. He may be dark but he still has the heart to spare them from further pain!"

Itachi paused momentarily and closed his eyes before he slowly shook his head. "I don't know."

"This is going to make the HQ a potential battle ground for Kakashi and Aoi tomorrow." Shisui deeply sighed as he massaged his temple, "This is where I wish Dan-san was here, he can easily tame _both _Kakashi and Aoi."

"I can't grant that wish," Itachi deadpanned, blankly. "All I can say is: brace yourself, because neither of them are going to back down."

_**~O~O~**_

_In the Senju's private training ground behind their residence..._

Raiko's eyes were fixated on Nawaki when he got into his fighting stance against Kakashi who stood calmly with his hands in his pockets. It wasn't long till he was joined by his daughter whose interest had piqued when she saw Nawaki training through the window.

"Nawaki has grown up..." she smiled, gripping the wooden railings. "I just wish that you would take into account that he's still a child."

"But he's still weak and timid. He's my only heir, and he can't take all the responsibility if he's _weak,_ Tsunade." her father bit back, wrapping his arm around her body to draw her closer to him. "A weak heir will fall prey to other clans."

Tsunade remained silent and her attention drew to Kakashi. "He seems keen on Nawaki."

"And _you_ seem interested in him. Those late night talks you would have with him in the front porch can't go unnoticed."

"None of those conversations revolve around either of us," Tsunade sternly spoke, "Nawaki is _always_ our topic. He tells me what he has taught Nawaki and how he could improve. I have missed a lot of days with Nawaki, and he simply fills in the gaps for me."

Raiko withdrew his arm from Tsunade and cleared his throat. "Well now, the least you can do is watch Nawaki train under Kakashi."

Kakashi's sharingan closed shut and his remaining eye tightened with anticipation. "Remember what I told you, Nawaki?"

"Yes!" he replied, moving his feet, ready to spur head on. "Overpower the enemy before they overpower you."

"Show me what you've learnt." he taunted, gesturing from him to attack.

Nawaki's eyes began to burn with determination as he tightened his forehead protector. His feet turned in the slightest, gaining him enough momentum to spur towards Kakashi - full throttle. "Here I go!" he vociferated, curling his hand into a fist.

With little effort Kakashi intercepted Nawaki's punch with his black gloved hand. His own fingers gripped around Nawaki's hand, threatening to tighten further. "Reinforce your hand with power from your arm. Gather your chakra and divide it equally with your lower torso, arms and hands. Understood?"

"Hai!" Nawaki responded, jumping back to gain enough distance to get into his fighting stance. "Here I go!"

The silver-haired ANBU officer silently nodded before he evaded Nawaki's incoming attack. "_Faster!_ Use your legs, surge it with chakra!" he strongly commanded, slapping away his punches. "_More_ power! Come on!"

At the end, Kakashi grew tired of the lack of understanding of his apprentice, his punches were far too lackluster for his liking. So he took Nawaki's hand and pushed against his pronator treres to make it automatically bend from its straight form. He then changed his weak form by making his knees bend in deeper, with his feet turning outward to gain more balance.

"Can you feel the difference?" he asked, gaining another silent nod, "Now, run to me _faster_ and hit me _harder_."

Tsunade sensed her father smirk at Kakashi. Quick evaluations, faster judgement resulted to an outcome better than they'd expected. Kakashi, even without the use of his Sharingan, was able to identify the weakness of Nawaki's form, and he was able to fix it with a few adjustments. Tsunade could finally understand why her father chose him to train the Senju heir at frequent times. To show agreement with her father, she mirrored his smirk.

"And that's why I chose Kakashi." he spoke. "He can see errors in one's fighting form immediately."

"Let's do this!" Nawaki roared, fueling his feet and legs with chakra, running faster than he had anticipated. "Nnngraahh!" his eyes widened as his fist curled with erratic, blue flames coating around his hand.

Kakashi smiled before he dodged it, barely. "Punch again! Use both left and right hands!"

"Yes!" the boy exchanged with both left and right, meeting and inflicting damage on Kakashi's gloved hands.

"Knees, feet: use them!" he threw his fist away, jumped back and prepared for the next wave. "Naw-" he abruptly stopped his sentence when he had to duck down from Nawaki's kicksweep in midair.

Nawaki punched. Kicked. Kneed. Grabbed then punched.

Sporadic movements and sequences fueled with deadly chakra made Kakashi become more wary. However, it was obvious his apprentice's chakra had begun to steam him out, making his stance poor and open to a counterattack.

"Time to defend." his teacher announced. "Are you ready?"

Nawaki wiped his gleaming sweat from his forehead and nodded. "Y-Yes, Sensei!"

Kakashi slid down, away from Nawaki's peripheral view, and kicked his chin from below. He jumped, grabbed his shirt, and tossed him back on the ground, expecting him to jumped back on his feet. His expectations were _not_ met.

Tsunade attempted to run to Nawaki's side, but her body was locked by two calloused hands. She glared at Raiko but his grip refused to withdraw. "_Your_ son still hasn't fully recovered from his wounds - that _you_ _inflicted_ \- he cannot withstand that kind of force!"

Raiko's eyes flared angrily. "This is his training to become the Clan Head, Tsunade. Whether you like it or not, your will _not_ _interfere_ with this training!"

Still in shock from the collision back into the ground, Nawaki's vision was blurred and his body no longer seemed his. His orbs became dull with every intention to roll back as his consciousness gave in. Several feet away from his body was his teacher, waiting for him to stand back up with pride.

"Stand up, Nawaki. Remember what I taught you."

"...Y-Yes, Kakashi-nii," he grumbled, lips grinding against the rough surface. Slowly, his fingernails dug into the ground and his feet curled to assist his comeback. Once he had stood back up he wiped his tears away and glared back at Kakashi.

"Again!" the older ninja declared, reappearing below him once more. "Cross your arms and try to withstand the force!"

As ordered Nawaki crossed his arms and took the overwhelming power of Kakashi's kick. Much to his dismay his feet _still_ left the ground and he floated in the air once more.

"Don't waver!" Kakashi shouted, jumping up to meet him. "Block. Deflect. Spin backwards and land on your feet."

His teacher punched. He blocked.

"Good!"

Kakashi kicked. Nawaki deflected it with his arm coated with chakra.

"Now land on your feet!"

Nawaki flipped backwards and his feet met the ground once more. Suddenly, fast paced footsteps echoed in his ear, alerting and igniting his innate senses back to life.

"Block and counter now!" His shin was met by Nawaki's arm before it was grappled by his hands. "Good!" he smiled when he was thrown away. "Now, attack!"

His apprentice managed to pent up enough chakra to project him to his body in an instant. In a lithe motion, Kakashi evaded his destructive attack then clasped him by the wrist with quick succession. "And _that_ concludes today's lesson." his grip loosened. "You've done well today, Nawaki."

"Really, Kakashi-nii?!" he gasped, tainted cheeks became redder and his eyes gleamed with appreciation. "Yusha!" he turned to his sister who watched from afar with worried eyes. "Nee-chan, did you see me?" he grinned, placing his hands firmly on his hips as he chuckled.

Tsunade hurriedly came to her little brother to lock him into a tight embrace, with her lips edging a soft smile. "Yes I did, gaki."

* * *

_Later that evening...  
_

After the night had settled in with the moon masked with shrouds of clouds, a halcyon atmosphere cloaked around the Hidden Leaf. Everything was calmer, even the shops' ruckus had ceased. Peaceful aura resonated and reassured the wildlife's safety to appear and stay hidden within the long strands of uncut grass.

Kakashi climbed up the stairs and checked into Nawaki's room. The Senju heir was already deep in his idyllic slumber, oblivious of the world which continued to unravel even in his sleep. Softly, he closed the door after he had ensured Nawaki's safety.

Before he entered Tsunade's room he noticed the door, which led to the balcony at the end of the hall, was open. Kakashi frowned when he saw Gray and Tsunade together, engaging in, what looked like, an intense conversation. If his study with body languages has served him right over the years, then he would class Tsunade as _emotional._

* * *

_With Gray and Tsunade..._

"So, what's your final ruling?" Tsunade asked, craning her neck to lock eyes with his teal orbs.

Gray sighed, ruffled his hair then shook his head slowly. "...I'm sorry." he whispered. "The search is over, Tsunade. Dan has been ruled KIA."

In that moment Tsunade felt as if the world stood still, and her heart racing in hard beats, running and echoing in her ears were the only noises that existed. The rest seemed nonexistent, and just a figment of another nightmare yet to cause insomnia when she breaks free from this world made of lies.

There's no way Dan could be ruled as dead. He's a top class shinobi, one who's harbored secrets of the Leaf, enough to expose their weakness. Having valuable information leaked to other villages would be fatal. Most of all, he _promised _that he would return back after the mission.

"No-No, you _must_ dispatch another celled team; he may be still alive!" she urged, griping onto his jounin top. "Gray, please do something!" she pleaded, shaking her head in disbelief, refusing to let her tears stream down. "_Please_ _don't_ let it end like this!"

"I've done everything!" he fought back, grabbing her by her arms. "Dan is also _my_ comrade and friend. It's hard for me to deal with this!"

Tsunade's lips pursed tightly, refusing to utter another word. Gray stroked her golden tresses away from her eyes, revealing her tears which had began to stream down her rosy cheeks. Lovingly, his thumb wiped her tears away, drawing her full attention.

She was breaking, hurting. And she was vulnerable, in need of comfort.

Slowly, Gray entangled his arms around her as a sign of comfort, despite her constant refusal of being hugged. His fingers weaved through her silky strands from her high ponytail whilst his spare hand remained on her back for reassurance. "..Stop trying to push yourself from others, Tsunade." he whispered against the crown of her head.

Tsunade's face remained burrowed in his chest with her hands balling around his jounin top, desperate to push him away from her. Strong smell of alcohol, masculinity and strong cologne assaulted her scenses, forcing her to indulge in his scent. "G-Gray, let me go." she cried softly as her hands tried to push his arms away from her. "Gray...!"

Languidly, Gray raised her face by her chin. "Stop pushing me away..." he whispered, drawing closer to her parted, nude lips. From the small distance between him and her, he could taste her shaken aura filled with dismay and a colossal amount of emotion overwhelming her façade. "You can't do more of these charades."

"...Gray." her left hand found itself prominently resting on his bicep whilst her right remained on his chest with a fistful of fabric still within its clasp. Finally, as a sign of defeat, Tsunade buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and quietly wept as her hands eventually snaked around to his back to reciprocate to his loving embrace.

Underneath the starry night their limbs remained intertwined with each other in peace. They listened to each other's breathing and the occasional rustles from the trees near them, creating a chilly breeze. Contented, they remained still as they basked into each other's ambiance and body heat.

Lightly, like feather, he pushed himself away from the embrace in order to create quite a distance between himself and the blonde. Delicately, he caressed the supple of her cheek as his spare hand raised her face by her chin, before their noses slightly made contact when he titled his head.

His lips harshly pressed against hers with enough force and tenderness to make her gasp out in surprise; whilst his arms locked and pulled her body closer to his own.

"G-Gr-Gray..." her sentence faltered once her lips became devoured by his, again.

Her hands fumbled with his clothing as she stared at him with horror from his drastic move of intimacy. Before he could attempt to open her mouth with his own, she ripped her lips from his with disgust, and drew her dominant up in the air.

_Slap!_

Gray's face was forced to the side with a red hand print stinging on his left cheek. "Ts-Tsuna-" his eyes gaped open at the sight of the blonde Sannin wiping her lips dry from their kiss with her hand. A sign of repulsion, _disgust_, twisting on the lines of her face.

The Senju princess pushed his body away at arms length. "We're _friends_ \- understand that, Gray." she interrupted, wiping the remaining tears. "..That's all I ask from you."

"O-Of course! I'm sorry." his face hung down with embarrassment. "I thought I could confide in you, but my thinking was too rash." he reasoned, running the back of his hand against his lips, brushing the stinging sensation from their kiss. "I'm sorry."

"Th-Thank you for trying... to find Dan." her hand rested on his chest but her face was shadowed. "Now, get some rest, Gray. You've earned it."

"Are you alright to-"

"_Please_, _just_ go home."

* * *

_With Kakashi..._

He peered inside Tsunade's room after his senses were aroused by light footsteps. Kakashi saw the lights burning away, with one window opened widely for _anyone _to enter. Soft rustles of papers soon hit Kakashi's left ear. Quickly, a kunai came in his possession before he launched himself at the intruder.

His eyes preyed on the masked-fully-clad female ANBU. "Who sent you?!" he growled, pressing the kunai on the skin of her neck.

"You're not my concern." she replied, dropping a smoke bomb on the floor to divert Kakashi's attention away from her.

In the thick smoke they engaged in combat: exchanging fists and clashing with kunais and blades. Kakashi was pushed against the wall and the masked female ANBU lunged forward with the tip of her weapon confidently thrusting forward. At the last second, he evaded the tip and watched it bury into the wall.

He elbowed down to the sword to shatter it into two pieces before he rammed his forearm against her throat, violently pushing her to the other side. She attempted to fight back, to break free, but he was significantly stronger.

"What's your objective?" he snarled, creating greater pressure against her neck, depriving her from oxygen. "Answer me!"

As expected she refused to answer. She struggled helplessly against the wall, grunting and groaning softly.

"Pity, but I guess I could remove your mask." she grew more violent as his hand inched closer to the mask, but in the end he had prevailed and had her identity shown.

Ruka closed her eyes and waited for Kakashi to acknowledge her.

"Who are you?" he questioned, eyes screwing into a glare. "No, it doesn't even matter... This is the end for yo-"

"Kakashi what are you doing?!" Tsunade screamed, pushing him away from Ruka who immediately gasped for air. "She works for the Hokage."

"What is she doing here.. _unannounced_?"

"Tsunade-chan, the Hokage has ordered me to retrieve the box you have borrowed earlier this morning." Ruka answered weakly, running her hand on the expanse of her neck as she sighed. Despite the pressure no longer ramming against her throat, her fingers trembled over the bruised patch of skin which contained a stinging sensation. If Tsunade hadn't interfered at the right moment, she knew she would have been killed.

"Why? I thought I had the right to access those documents." she frowned, pulling the box from underneath her bed.

"I'm sorry, but the Hokage made it clear that he wanted it back by sunrise."

Tsunade silently nodded and gave the box back to Ruka's hands. "Well, thank you for letting me get my hands on it - short as it may be."

"I should be on my way now, Tsunade-chan. Thank you for being so cooperative." she turned to Kakashi who glared at her coldly, "I-I'm sorry."  
she waited for a reply but he continued to examine her with a scrutinizing glare through the scopes of his mismatched eyes. "I should go. Goodnight." Ruka raised two of her fingers and disappeared in thin air.

Tsunade folded her arms and raised her brow at her companion who only stared at her, befuddled. "You attacked a _fellow_ ninja."

"She refused to identify herself." he retaliated, casually walking out of her room. "She could have been _anybody_."

_**~O~O~**_

_Back in the Hokage Tower..._

Ruka appeared in the center of the office, knelt down with the box in her possession. "Mission success, Hokage-sama." she announced, standing back up on her feet.

"I trust no one seen you." Hiruzen smiled as his maskless ANBU recruit placed the cardboard box on his desk. "After all you're one of the _best_ stealth ninjas I have."

She shook her head slowly. "I was detected," she began, pushing her hair back to show two purple bruises on her pale neck. "I was nearly killed. If it weren't for Tsunade-chan... I wouldn't have-"

"Who did this?!"

"K-Kakashi-kun.." the response was shaken, filled with stutters. "He doesn't _remember_ me. It has been two years since that incident... I was the one who-"

"Saw everything." the Hokage finished, onyx orbs softening at the sight of her vulnerability. "And I'm sorry for dispatching you.. _alone _back then. You didn't have to see that. After all, you admire him greatly. No one deserves to see their comrade like that."

Ruka lowered her face, hiding her pursed lips and angered eyes fueled with translucent tears. "Did _she_ have to die? No, the question should be _why _did _she _die?"

"You mean-"

"Yes, _her_. Her death, it was all too abrupt!"

Hiruzen raised the lid of the box to reveal the documents. "...Fate has its way." he whispered, tracing his fingers on the documents that had been sealed off for two years, since Phantom Four's disbandment. Carefully he lifted Kakashi's file from the box, and meticulously examined his profile. "He was a good ninja."

"Do you think Tsunade-chan will be safe?" she asked to draw his attention.

The Hokage placed the file down and closed his eyes momentarily before he nodded. "Yes. I didn't pick Tsunade for the mission on a whim. I picked her over more skilled ninjas at stealth, because I know Kakashi will _never _hurt her."

"How can you be so sure?"

Hiruzen raised Kakashi's file up and pointed at an old picture stapled on the right-hand corner of his profile. He watched as Ruka's eyes widened at their own accord when she had come to her realization of who the woman was in the picture clad in an ANBU uniform.

"It's been so long since I've seen her face," she gasped; "She.. she was..."

"Tsunade's personality is a vague resemblance of that woman. This spitting image will cloud Kakashi's instincts to not trust anyone. Subconsciously, he'll start trusting her and soon enough he'll let his guard down."

_**~O~O~**_

Behind the Main Branch's residence was an indoor training hall where Kakashi had unleashed his power and stress. As his bandaged hands punched the worn out punching bag that hung from the ceiling, his teeth clenched together to suppress his grunts of pain.

Tsunade had entered in the premise quietly to not avert his concentrated attention to herself, since she had come in the hall with the intention to vent her own anger out without any casualties. From afar she watched Kakashi throw relentless punches whilst silver drops of sweat began to pool and drip from his forehead.

He was so rapt in his personal training that the blonde Sannin's presence wasn't as easily detectable as it_ should _be. Silver light with a mixture of ember from the moon and candles highlighted his toned triceps per strike he shot with immense power. Between the strands of his hair Tsunade could see his onyx orb tightening as his teeth clamped onto each other in order to negate the recoil from his punch.

"Did you come here to just watch?" he asked between his punches. "Or do you want a brief on Nawaki's progression?"

"I came here to vent, but I guess I got here too late."

Kakashi threw a spur of powerful punches as a finish before he ceased to catch his breath. After he had grabbed a towel to cover the bottom-half of his face he peered over his shoulder to look at Tsunade who remained stood by the entrance. Discretely, he smirked underneath the cloth of the towel before he turned his back to her again. As he dried his wet silver strands, the muscles of his back became vexed as his remaining sweat trickled over each chiseled edges that had become accentuated.

Tsunade kept her eyes locked on the ANBU officer. His flexed muscles clearly showed underneath the thin fabricated fishnet shirt which did very little to cover his upper torso. "Do you come here often?" she asked, engaging on a new topic.

"Before I leave your residence - it's become a habit." he replied, discarding his fishnet shirt to reveal his body. "It's the first time I've seen you here late at night. Normally, you'd come here early in the morning." his deft hands patted the soft towel against his perspiring body.

"Have you been stalking me, Kakashi?" one eyebrow raised when she heard him softly chuckle. "Although I haven't been well informed about your business here, I'm pretty sure I'm not part of your _chores._"

Kakashi covered his half naked body with another black, sleeveless shirt that clenched firmly on his body, accentuating his light masculine form. Before he turned around to meet the Senju's eyes he pulled his mask up to conceal his lower face.

"Patrolling the area is. I just happen to see you every morning, training. Accidentally running into you doesn't imply _stalking_. I know you don't trust me, Tsunade, but don't get _paranoid_ about me."

"I'm not paranoid. If anything, I couldn't care less about you." she replied, walking towards him. "So don't flatter yourself." her hand touched his chest lightly, and brushed off as she motioned past him. "Close the door on your way out."

"Who said I was leaving yet?" he asked.

"Haven't you finished training?"

"Yes, but you haven't finished venting. Although you're not in my job description I'm willing to help you just this _once_." Kakashi turned around and met with her steely, hazel eyes. "I heard about Dan's situation, and I'm very much aware that you're his paramour."

"So, now you eavesdrop?" Tsunade folded her arms, "What are your other _qualities_, Kakashi?"

"Dan-senpai's situation isn't exactly a secret. I've known it since the day he went missing." the silver-haired man took several steps back to the large fighting mat that's positioned in the center of the hall. "Now, your anger mixed with emotions because of the appalling work the Hokage has done isn't a secret either, Tsunade."

"What do you gain from this _favor_?"

"A sparring partner for the night?"

Tsunade stepped forward on the fighting mat whilst she rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Alright then."

"No usage of chakra, just plain taijutsu." Kakashi announced before he got into his fighting stance. "That way we can ensure _my _safety and your father's indoor training hall's safety, as well."

"Whoever hits the floor first is the loser."

"Fair enough."

"Ready," Tsunade braced herself as her fists tightly clenched together, "Spar!"

Fast paced footsteps on the mat echoed across the hall. Then the exchange of fists. The struggled grunts in the middle of their exchange.

Tsunade punched. Kakashi dodged, deflected then kicked. She crossed her arms to block his attack before she spun around to roundkick him to the floor. He ducked away from her sweep and threw an uppercut. An inch away from his punch Tsunade jumped backwards to gain enough space between them.

In the moment of silence they both smirked at each other with their hearts rapidly pulsing. However, before they could both speak, their bodies pushed towards each other with the determination to win.

Tsunade was first to attack with several punches on Kakashi's arms as he blocked them away. Seeing an opening in his defense she struck with another hand to draw his attention but then threw her dominant hand in to crash through his opening.

Kakashi felt her knuckles burrow deep in his chest, the strength of her non-coated-chakra hand was even enough to make him take several steps back. He saw her attacks again, both quick and strong, but with the right timing of his dodge and anticipation he brought his knee up to her stomach.

She drew away, hand on her stomach, greatly winded from the impact of his knee. The blow was far _too _great for her to deflect his kick so she shied away from his foot, barely.

"You're beginning to falter, Tsunade." he reminded, throwing another punch that threatened to bring her back on the ground. "Isn't the ruling of Dan-senpai enough to make you want to break the closest person?"

"...What?" she heaved, jumping away from his punch with her hand still firmly on her stomach.

"Why won't you release that anger of yours?" Kakashi asked, hand on hip. "Gather all of your frustration and put them into your attacks."

"I don't need you to tell me."

His eyebrows knitted together at the sight of her rising back into a prominent form. To gain her full attention he taunted her with his left hand, silently telling her to come right at him. "Come on, show me the power of a Sannin."

With an unexpected speed she dashed towards him before she ducked down to sweep his feet off the ground. Kakashi flipped backwards on his hands and withdrew from his opponent. Tsunade had already predicted his moves and before he even had his defense up, she threw in a monstrous punch.

"Damn it!" she yelled in frustration, tears clouding her peripherals. Nevertheless she resumed throwing in punches and kicks in a sporadic manner that _even_ Kakashi couldn't figure out. "He wasn't-He-Dan wasn't suppose to..."

Despite his constant training with his defense, her offense which had made his arms wither, had surpassed his raw expectations. He could feel his forearms become numb and his palms became sore with each deflect he made.

The winner of the match soon became inevitable when Tsunade's punch became weaker. Her knuckles were met by his warm palm before it his grip transferred onto her wrist.

"Let's resume this match some other time" he said with his eyes tightened at the sight of her tears caressing her contours. Softly he released her wrist before he placed his hand firmly on her shoulder, giving her reassurance. "Someone _will _find him."

She wiped her tears away, raised her head up to meet his stony gaze. "All of the search and rescue platoons have been called back. I doubt that he'll show up."

"It doesn't have to be necessarily be the platoons who work under the Hokage." he replied, drawing away from Tsunade. "_My _platoon can do it."

With a light scoff she met his mistmatched orbs again, she saw his sincerity which only raised questions in her mind, "Why are you willing to do this? Especially for someone you loathe." their eye contact was broken when Kakashi turned around to walk out of the hall. Determined to have her question answered she grabbed his heavily bruised forearm with both of her hands. "Answer me, Kakashi."

He winced at the pain before he violently released his arm from her hands. Once he became free from her restrictions that bound him from leaving, he turned on his heels back to face her again. "Don't rush into conclusions on what _I_ think about _you_." he began, lifting her face up by her chin with his index finger. "I am, however, debating whether I find you intriguing or - like you said - loathsome."

"Why won't you decide _now_?"

Kakashi's mask shifted and molded harshly on his lips, showing Tsunade he was smirking. "I'm very cautious with my decisions, because once I have made up my mind it will _never_ change." his thumb slowly ran on her lower lip, burning fear inside her as it soon wondered on the expanse of her wet cheek. _  
_

_'Though I will never say it - you remind me of someone. Someone precious to me. Which only makes me more suspicious of you.'_

Tsunade stood on her spot, completely frozen. She watched him saunter to the double, wooden doors, yet she didn't utter another word. Moreover she _couldn't. _The way his malicious chakra poisoned the calm atmosphere had left her more than speechless, she was on the verge of fearing for her life.

His hand clasped on the handle of the door, opening it slightly to welcome the silver light of the moon. He looked over his shoulder and spoke: "As for Dan-senpai's situation, I'll handle it with my own terms."

"Why-"

"After all," his voice became drenched with a deathly tone. "I have my own reasons of why I need him back _alive_."

* * *

A/N: A lot of things have happened in this chapter. Don't worry, it will all be answered in the future chapters, just not now. This story may go on **hiatus **for a while because, here in the UK, school is starting. My University opens this September and I have to get a move on in RL. I hope I can update some other time, or that the second author can.. somehow.

Anyway, I hope these chapters is still capturing your interest. And I hope to up the ante with my next update - which I'm sure you'll love. I already have planned and.. if I have time... I'll try and write it for you guys. :)

Oh, since I'm going to gone for quite some time here's some recommendations to keep you occupied (they're mostly romance fics. Keeping the theme, ya' know?):

**An Indispensable Assistant by TayMor **(they're an awesome author!):

_Professional. Intelligent. Intuitive. Haruno Sakura is the assistant every boss wants. She is smart, she is capable, and she is experienced. Operating with her own hard and fast rules, Sakura has one, very important personal rule. Never fall in love with your boss. However, being indispensable to Uchiha Itachi will put that rule under heavy duress. AU._

**An Unlikely Seduction by Mihkail**

_Sakura swallows her pride and pays Sasuke a visit to apologize for something she had done the previous day, only for fate to throw her face-to-face and alone with his infamous older brother, Itachi Uchiha. Pleasantries unravel into a heated debate, and the mounting tension climaxes into the unfathomable. ItaSaku. Non-Mass. Warning inside._

Christ they're all SakuIta. Alright... umm oh! These stories may pique your interest!

**Prisoner by McDiggin'It **(cool author who has a lot of potential!)

_Tsunade was fed up with Kakashi's utter bullshit about getting lost on the road of life and all that nonsense. So as punishment, she ties him to one of the chairs in her office every morning, for one whole week. This way, he won't have any excuses for being late when she needs him for missions. But What happens when things get out of hand?_

That story is quite hilarious! Also, persuade her to update. Like please, c'mon!

**Underneath things by Jest'lyn Tal**

_A delicate mission requires both a shinobi of the highest talent and a medical-nin capable of creating antidotes on the fly. Unfortunately, there's only a few medical-nin capable of filling that role - and only one that's available... Kakashi/Tsunade_

I feel like I should give _Underneath Things _a big thank you. O.o If it weren't for that story... this story would have never been written! Like. Ever.

Romance fics are awesome, but I'm not really into the genre. However, some just make the exception! Those stories up there are well-written and it's original. :)

I hope to update soon!

Ja Ne

**Exciled3**


	4. Fade to Black

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to **BubblesBubbles94**. Also known as **xXHanCockXx** in Deviantart! You guys should definitely check out that profile! :D

And before I get into the chapter I'd like to apologize for the long wait. But, please note this, do not send me reviews that say grim things just because I don't update frequently.

I am _not_ the most punctual author in this website. I absolutely suck at updating. Besides, there are _thousands_ of better fictions than mine, so don't think you'll have to go to such lengths to get me to update. I don't care if it's a joke or not, don't even subject yourself to do that... it's not a matter to be taken lightly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Fade to Black**

"Nii-san!" Sasuke wailed frantically, finding his balance back to stumble against his brother's legs. "You promised me that you'll train me today!"

Itachi smiled warmly down at his little brother. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but we have a guest today." He gestured to his side, another ninja clad in an ANBU uniform.

"Who's he?" He asked softly, grabbing a fistful of his brother's pants. Although his voice was still unrefined, Kakashi picked up on jealously in his tone. Seldom does he show pity to children, but he couldn't help but catch the boy's gaze filled with emotion.

"Uhh," Itachi turned around. "Taichou, can I introduce you?"

"My full name is off limits; I'm currently on a mission." Was all he said, earning a grumble from the younger brother Uchiha.

"This is Wolf, he's my Captain in the ANBU." The Uchiha prodigy finally said.

Hatake Kakashi was the first man Itachi had ever respected. To the eyes of a fellow subordinate, Kakashi had seemed to be the epitome of an ANBU shinobi. Merciless. Cold. Flawless. Too clever; too fast; too strong.

Sasuke pouted away. "I bet _you're stronger_, Nii-san."

"Now, now, don't be like that, Sasuke." His hand dipped down to ruffle his hair. "After this, I _promise_ I'll train with you."

Another glimmer of hope engulfed the blackness of the child's eyes as he widely smiled in awe up at his brother. "Really? You _promise?_"

"I promise."

Kakashi only stared in the background, though he seemed unattached on the outside, his heart warmed. He saw a younger brother who admired his brother like he was some sort of God. Then there was Itachi who showed unfathomable amount of love for his foolish little brother.

Their relationship was a direct mirror of his with Sakumo's when he was younger. He yearned for his father's time, recognition, even just a tiny bit of it. And then there was his father, showing all the right amount of love he could possibly give.

_It's good to have a family..._

"Actually, Itachi," Kakashi turned his back away then looked over his shoulder. "This mission can be handled without your participation."

"Senpai-"

"Spend time with your brother." Kakashi firmly ordered, readjusting the lapels of his black robe and the angle of his sharp-edged sword. "That's an order."

Sasuke's pale cheeks changed into a light pink hue as his smile widened. "Thank y-"

Before he could thank the stranger, he vanished with the wind.

_**~O~O~**_

The air was polluted with thick, heavy smells of the vicious aftermath of death. Pungent odors spewed throughout the desolated forest potent with thick consistency of blood and... _death_, all perforating through Kakashi's senses. Mismatched eyes coiled with blood-red, a typical red, reflected on the pool of blood which hugged the blackness of his sandals. Disarrayed limbs spewed around him, yet he was unfazed, calm, content. His red eye - the Sharingan - swirled erratically in its own blood-pool orb before it curved into its matured form. His gaze roved over his slain targets, disarrayed in a melange of limbs and lacerations before his feet - and yet his eye pulsed coldly, swirled in languor, untouched by the carnage it wrought.

He flung his saber to his side then retracted it back to its case. _Mission accomplished._

A darkened gleam through his mask shone at the lifeless corpses which laid on the ground like organic waste - no longer breathing nor moving. He saw nothing more but an accomplished mission which stained the edges of his blade.

Kakashi disappeared along with the thunderclap in the night, without a trace that could lead back to the Leaf.

**~O~O~**

Night still overlay Konoha when Kakashi returned, an adumbral vastness stretching over the cavity wherein the village resided, but it was dissipating quickly, morning light struggling to break through. He wasn't overly weary, but he needed a shower, maybe solid food, and sleep. His report would have to wait until morning. He meandered through the quiet streets of the Hidden Leaf, opened his apartment door, then kicked off his shoes without a single care of aligning them back together.

Kakashi slung off his darkened cloak with haste. It landed in a careless heap on the floor, the tangy odor of blood and other bodily fluids clinging to the fabric. He was more careful with divesting his equipment, despite metal being far less delicate. A grimace of distaste touched his features, made his lips curl downcast. If fear possessed a scent then his skin was reeking of it. Sounds and smells and sensations slithered within his mind, dulled as all memories – the hum of metal, the last pulsation of life, flesh stripped down to the bones, copper and salt and iron, enforced awareness. Kakashi despised many things in what he did, but this was the one aspect he _loathed_. Death was never silent for the giver of it, not before, not during, not after. It should be – but it never was.

He continued to pace down further into his apartment, but a pulse of chakra interrupted his flow of movement. Casting his glace surreptitiously at the shadowed figure was futile. The presence the chakra reeked in was well distinguishable, he didn't need to exert more energy by using his Sharingan.

"Tenzo." Kakashi plainly spoke, discarding his porcelain mask on the coffee table. "Why did you break in my home?"

The wood-style user chuckled back in response, hardly noticing the narrowed eyes glaring right at him. "Your door was open, if anything that was an invitation."

Kakashi knew he was lying. Since, after all, he was anything _but_ a disorientated man. All of his windows are rigged with traps, the same goes with his front door. Tenzo seemed to have already set off his trap - or traps, he was always a cautious man.

"Let me rephrase my question: what are you doing _here_ at an _ungodly_ hour after our mission?"

Tenzo sighed then ruffled through his brown locks, disheveling it further from its original state. "You left before the disposal unit arrived, Senpai." His hand settled down on his hip, and he smiled. "We both know we should wait for them."

Kakashi held the bridge of his nose, expressing a sigh potent with a mixture of exasperation and irritation. "All the targets are dead, Tenzo. Mission accomplished. Waiting for the disposal unit won't change a thing. Besides, I thought I left _you_ in charge."

_Bingo._

"You finished your task early. We couldn't catch up sooner. What was the body count on your side anyway?"

"Twenty-eight." He replied casually, feigning interest on the topic, though Tenzo could hear a pang of bitterness welling up at the tip of his tongue. "Some were diced more than others. I apologize if identifying them will be difficult - they didn't leave me much of a choice."

There wasn't a smidgen of blood on Kakashi's clothes, nothing to indicate he'd come out of a bloodbath, but Tenzo's eyes trailed over him as if he could see its phantom traces. Tenzo sauntered over his Captain, gave a look of empathy, smiled then gripped his shoulder. "Get some rest, you look like you need it."

Kakashi begrudgingly swiped his arm off his shoulder and silently nodded. His ANBU vest came off in a second, a pool of clothes laid on the floor in a mangled mess, with his sheathed sword placed on the coffee table next to his mask.

"If you're done now Tenzo, take your leave."

"As you wish, Kakashi-senpai." Tenzo gave his last obeisance before he left the dark seclusion with a small howl.

Kakashi threw himself against the wall, glowering at his dominant hand shaking tremendously with guilt. _Rin... _His hand clasped shut tightly at the thought of his fallen comrade.

He was an ANBU. He should have anesthetized his emotions to ensure he wouldn't compromise the mission. Yet... he saw _her_ twenty-eight times per strike with the newly-dubbed Raikiri. Guilt and shame tasted bitter, filled his mouth but could neither be swallowed nor expelled, couldn't go up or down.

Kakashi remained stood against the wall, as if it was the only source of strength he had left, and submerged himself of silence, absent thought or memory. Minutes passed by, muscles clenched and unclenched, tension unraveled, until only the drum of his heartbeat remained, evened and slowed.

He needed to take a goddamn shower. And maybe a good nap if he's lucky.

_**~O~O~**_

Tsunade stood in the center of her bathroom, the water was warm against her skin, untangled the knots of fatigue as it dripped down the dips and swells of her body. Tsunade took her time scrubbing herself clean of sweat, washing her hair, leisure strokes of fingers and foam. Steam and the scent of gardenias filled the shower, loosened her muscles, and she lost perception of time. Subconsciously retaining an iota of alertness, like a battle-hardened ninja should.

She dried her body with a towel in languor, before she slipped into a new set of clothes for the night. Tsunade casually meandered past her furniture and propped herself on the edge of her bed. Lightly she sighed, massaging her temples as she did so. Tsunade picked up the last brown file she had in her possession, one she secretly hid from the ever-so-trusting ANBU officer who foolishly broke in her home.

Tsunade swiped through Kakashi's portfolio, eyebrows creasing slightly. "Hatake Kakashi, former member of the assassination squad - Phantom Four. S class assassinations completed, during time in Phantom Four: 173. Fellow squadrons: Uchiha Itachi, Hakuro, and-"

Twin hazel eyes flashed momentarily before it froze at the three letters of the final member of the group. Her heart dropped a beat.

"Dan was a part of this organization?!"

_**~O~O~**_

Kakashi grimaced heavily as he sauntered towards the Hokage Tower to report to the Sandaime Hokage. The thought of seeing the old man repulsed him, made his own blood boil to see his naïveté radiate throughout the room, forever oblivious of the darkness which cloaked around the ninja world. Such ignorance... what a stupid man.

Although he had grown accustomed to this procedure after the mission in the ANBU, it was no longer his place to report such petty things. Their mission could be summed up in one grotesque word: _slaughter_. That was all it was, animalistic carnage without an ounce of virtue. Not that he even cared for such thing in the ANBU.

The ANBU embodied everything that is _not_ man. They were not gentle nor were they sentimental. They didn't care for emotions, all they cared for was completing their missions. For the sake for the village, the future - they would not question their superior's orders. They would follow the objective to each letter and execute it like so. It was an unspoken rule of Shinobi, especially the ANBU: it is imprinted in their very soul, and it sunk in their flesh and blood.

As usual, Kakashi slipped in through the window of the Hokage Tower. His footwork was still impeccably reliable despite deep fatigue weighing him down; he shuffled in front of the desk then showed his obeisance to the Hokage.

"Mission success, Sandaime-sama," he spoke curtly, a raspy tone edging his voice.

Soft charcoal eyes met hardened mistmatched orbs piercing through the holes of the porcelain mask stained with scarlet blood. A darker shade coiled his eyes when he stared at the silver-haired ANBU with trepidation. He stood, posture rich with obedience, eyes screwed with twisted pleasure.

He expressed a rueful smile, one he had etched on his face long enough for the masked man to take notice. Their gazes met, and immediately the Third felt uneasy against his scrutinizing glare and oozing presence with animosity.

Hirzuen regretted allowing him to transfer to ROOT. He truly did, but Danzo needed him, his expertise. They needed _the_ perfect ninja. What distinguished an elite from the mask-wearing, nameless mass was the juxtaposition of being part of the whole yet separate. To possess the rare quality of having all the answers, performing the task assigned in perfection while being cognizant of motives, catalysts, and consequences. Ignorance, blind devotion, was for foot soldiers or, as the Third reckoned, the fortunate amongst them.

Kakashi personified all those qualities with such deadly precision. He was an elite in the shadows. However... he was never like this. He was never so cold. Hiruzen pushed the thought away to prevent him from musing in mid-conversation with a person like Kakashi.

"Excellent as always, _Wolf_." Hiruzen meekly smiled, sadly Kakashi didn't reciprocate his gesture. Only steely eyes stared straight through him, unwavering, awaiting for another order - dismissal or a mission, _anything_. He stood, like an obedient dog.

The Hokage blew out strands of smoke, settled down on his chair, swiveled it around and sighed. "I trust there were no casualties."

"No, there weren't." Kakashi firmly spoke. "However, that being said, those ANBU recruits you have put under my wing are incompetent. They do not have the qualities of an ANBU - they resonate with naïveté and zest. They are ignorant soldiers on the field who cannot suppress their emotions for the mission. If it weren't for Tenzo being in their platoon, they would have surely died by now."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, charcoal hue hardening. "Are you questioning my judgement as Hokage, Kakashi?"

Tension coiled and twisted, inundated the space between them with the scent of ozone, then unraveled with a long-suffering sigh. Hiruzen threw some clipped words at him, weighted with disrelish, and Kakashi tilted his neck in tacit acknowledgment but merely that. He was his superior, the decision-maker, the great pillar hefting Konoha on his shoulders, and Kakashi was nothing but a small column, alleviating his burden, offering support. Even small columns were entitled to their own opinions though.

The silver-haired man unmasked himself to reveal his agitated expression. "If no one will go against your judgement then this system will stay the same. Thus resulting to the same meaningless deaths, like in the past."

Hiruzen leveled his gaze at him, remaining passive. "What has happened to you, Kakashi?"

A nimbus of smoke slithered out of Hiruzen's cracked lips, dissolving into breath. Another sigh, another disapproval of his uncandid response. "I think it's best if you go on leave for a while." He spoke calmly, turning back round to place his pipe down on the ashtray. "Look at you... you don't look alive anymore."

The silver-haired man stood unfazed, emotions still intact.

"I'm going to relieve you for a week, Kakashi." The Hokage signed a slip of approval of his time off. "You need it." His hand extended with the signed form of permit.

Reluctantly one black gloved hand took the slip of paper from him. Kakashi's face screwed together another look of disapproval, but he didn't voice it. "Hai." Voice strong as steel, cold as ice.

The Third was simply too sentimental, placed too much value on one's life, treated the assassination squad the same way he did all other squads – but ANBU shinobi were not the same as regular shinobi. They served a certain purpose within the village, one that Hiruzen failed grasp, or if he did, he sought to change. However, one cannot simply bring light into the shadows if they haven't stepped into the living hell themselves.

Kakashi never outright flaunted his ideology, always followed orders to the letter, but he didn't have to be vocal for him to know his inner thoughts. They were carved in the black of his eye, the solidity of his posture. It was all there in black and _blood_.

Putting his mask back on, his glare met the Hokage's softened glance. "I appreciate your concern, Hokage-sama." He spoke, languidly, smooth, formal. "However, don't you think it's too late for that now?"

Hiruzen stared whilst the ninja glared. "You mean..."

Kakashi, although his face was covered, conveyed a repulsed expression, lines etching on his face to show his outrage. "The past, Hokage-sama, _will not_ be overlooked because of you doing me favors all of a sudden. _Don't_ patronize me."

"That is-"

"If there isn't anything else you want to say - that's regarding my leave - then excuse me." abandoning the door completely, his presence dissolved in thin air.

Hiruzen gave a sigh of exasperation and placed his pipe down on the ashtray before he acknowledged his rival's presence behind the window beside him. "Did you come here to gloat, Danzo?"

The fellow elder entered through the open window and leaned on the wall near the Third, the smugness still apparent on his face. "What were you hoping for, summoning him here?" he sneered. "A reunion with him will not sort your differences - he will never forgive you."

"It was for peace." the Third softly said under his breath, pushing himself up from his seat to walk to the window behind him. "It couldn't be helped."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that you took the only thing he had left in his life." Danzo pointed out, folding his arms to show dominance in their conversation. "Kakashi, if anything, has been too forgiving towards you. You were the reason why his father was shunned, why his teammates died during the Third Shinobi War, and you're the reason why Minato died." his eyes creased into a crescent moon shape. "And now... you're responsible for stealing his lover's life, not forgetting their-"

"Enough!" the Third growled, glowering at him over his shoulder. "I am aware I have much to atone for. However, it was _you_ who changed him into this."

"Don't go pointing fingers now, Hiruzen!" Danzo barked back. "You're responsible for this, not me. And now, you have to fix it."

"I wonder if I can ever fix this..."

"And word of advice, don't get your pretty student tangled in Kakashi's business. If you know better, you'll keep her away from his affairs."

"What makes you think I'm behind that?"

"Just a gut feeling." Danzo's voice lowered, a deadly tone which held warning within each syllable that rolled off his tongue: "But you know, Hiruzen, pretty girls shouldn't be playing with fire. Because they'll just get burnt in the end."

_**~O~O~**_

Out of trance, Kakashi sauntered through the endless streets of the Hidden Leaf, head hung low, feet dragging along, hands deep in his pockets. Whether it was out of familiarity or the need to bring out nostalgia, Kakashi found himself at the Dango cafeteria where he and his team would always lounge around in for endless hours. Minato would pay for everything; Obito would eat practically anything placed onto the table; Rin was... _Rin; _Kushina would often scowl at him and Obito for fighting all the time.

For a moment Kakashi allowed his inner self to indulge in such petty memories he could no longer experience. For a moment he deceived himself into thinking that he had another purpose in life aside from serving as a weapon of the Leaf. But, inevitably, he snapped back from his memories, recalling that he was stood stagnant in front of a cafeteria he hasn't set foot in since his team cracked into miserable pieces during the Third Shinobi War.

"Daydreaming out here with that mask on, Senpai, will certainly raise peoples' awareness, don't you think?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes back. "Tenzo, are you _stalking_ me?"

"No, no, Senpai." The wood-style user chuckled back in denial, shaking his hands up as defense. It didn't persuade him, that Tenzo knew. Those hardened mismatched eyes gleaming from within has turned more ominous over the years. With more blood spilled, more violence roared in his eyes. It's as if all the deaths has accumulated from within, gradually eating him inside.

Tenzo knew right now his Captain was currently unreachable. As long as those eyes glazed with raging fire was present, he knew that he won't be able to get through to him unless he was willing to get burnt.

"What is it?" Another sharp question. Another hard stare.

"I was wondering if you'd care to accompany me to escort the disposal unit again to our location last night."

Kakashi looked up the sky tainted with grey clouds. "It's going to rain soon." He noted, tightening the black robe around him. "Let's head out now."

"Lead the way, Taichou."

_**~O~O~**_

He turned on his heel once the disposal team arrived, exchanged typical greetings. Two of them he was unfamiliar with, probably new recruits, judging by the disgust crossing their features and the quiet, heaving sounds that followed his departure. _Rookies_. It had been a long time since he had been the one to perform such duties; he had almost forgotten the novelty of the experience for a newly integrated member. Still, even then, Kakashi had never displayed such reactions, at least never on the scene. ANBU's standards were dropping low, and lower, with each passing year, it seemed. Kakashi almost sighed, a twist of lips, more contortion than expression, deliberating. ANBU consisted of veterans and rookies these days, shinobi too jaded or too bright, those who survived and those who replaced all who didn't, no middle ground, no in-between.

Lately, more and more didn't make the cut, weren't suited for the line of work Kakashi had indulged in for the past few years. Unsurprisingly. It required a certain kind of shinobi, after all.

ANBU estimated the value of shinobi not by efficiency but self-awareness. Notable skill were merely the requirement for standard initiation. What made a true ANBU shinobi was mentality – to discard all sense of self, to smother the merest scintilla of individuality. For the success of the mission, for the sake of the village. It was an unspoken rule, soaked through soul and flesh, steeped into blood and viscera, slick and tangy and unpalatable.

Retching groans touched his ears right before he was out of hearing range. Another fledgling who couldn't handle the heat, soon to be reassigned. Kakashi turned to glare at the new recruits with an apathetic gaze.

_Amateurs..._

His eyes hovered around the corpses spewed across the ground: some were wealthy, others were pawns of their wealth, and the rest were ninja escort novices - a petty sight. It amused the silver-haired ninja that ranks no longer mattered now that they were just lifeless limbs sprawled throughout the area, tainted with the same red.

Life as he saw it to be consisted of wildly divergent paths - the way of the hungry and the impoverished travelling in the same timeline with the grotesquely indulgent, the very best travelling side-by-side with the most evil; all heading to the same inevitable consequence of living - _death_.

Shaking his head lightly, Kakashi swayed his cloak back forth, facing his back against them. "Tenzo, I entrust you with the rest."

"Yes, Senpai."

"Also, don't notify the Hokage that I was at the scene. I was told to recuperate."

"Hai, hai, you can trust me with your secret."

_**~O~O~**_

Upon arriving at his apartment floor he saw Yuukimi leaning by his door, fully clad and masked. He pushed his hands into his pockets and dragged his feet towards her. "What are you doing here in an ungodly hour?" he bluntly asked, placing his hand on his hip.

"Mission success, Kakashi-senpai. I have kept all the necessary tabs on Aoi and his group from their mission yesterday." she confidently began, passing the brown sealed envelop to her superior.

"Excellent." he unsealed the envelop and looked into its content, roughly analyzing her work. He rummaged through the sheaf of papers until he came upon one particular piece. "_Only one_ survivor?" he darted the question sharply with enraged eyes. "What's the meaning of this?"

Yuukimi pushed herself from the door and sighed from her mask. "It's how you see it, Senpai. Only one survivor from the mission, her name is Kato Shizune. Dan-sama's brother's orphan."

Silver eyebrows furrowed together and the paper began to become creased under the pressure of his grip digging in. Yuukimi realized the darkness which shadowed Kakashi's face with an overwhelming sense of fury beginning to come afire once more.

"Kakashi-senpai-"

He placed his hand on her shoulder, eyes becoming tamer when their eyes locked. "You've done an excellent job here; get some rest." his gripped tightened when she remained silent. _"Alright?"_

"Let me handle it from here, Kakashi-senpai!" she desperately urged, startling her superior. "Please, allow me to alleviate your burden!"

The silver-haired Captain smirked at her enthusiasm then nodded. "Alright, you handle things on the other side. I'm late for my meeting with Danzo."

Yuukimi's eyes widened when his grip slipped past her body and into thin air; without warning his body materialized into nothingness.

"I'll do my best, Kakashi-senpai."

_**~O~O~**_

Tsunade wasn't a morning person. Not then, not now. Having her curtains being tugged open to allow the sunlight access to her room made it all the more agitating, the sun was far too bright for her sensitive retinas, damn it! "Nawaki," she groaned. Though it was heavily muffled by the pillow her face was engulfed by, irritation remained potent with a bite. Not even his sister has enough patience in the morning.

"Nee-chan~!" the Senju heir pounced on his sister, gaining a groggy groan from her. His hands clawed through the sheets his sibling had yanked up to block the sunlight that interrupted her sleep. "You promised to train me today!"

One feminine hand reached up to Nawaki's face to push him as gently as she can away from her body. "Let me sleep, okay?" she heard him groan, whine and complain childishly with a pout and reddened cheeks. No matter how tired she was she could never deny her little brother's request. Tsunade yawned whilst her hand rubbed against her left eye. "Alright, alright, I'm up."

"Yay~!" Nawaki wailed, grinning wildly. He had won, a feeling he has grown accustomed of. "So you're going to teach me the basics of medical ninjutsu, right?" As usual his tone was overly drenched with such high zest and determination. A natural - and _common_ \- trait that ran within every single exuberant youngsters.

Tsunade propped herself up with her elbows digging into her mattress to fully face her brother's glowing face. She merely smiled at his expression. "Of course, come with me to the hospital. I'll teach you there."

"Really?"

She threw her head back, expressing a sigh of exasperation. "_Yes._ Now get out of my room; I need to change."

_**~O~O~**_

Aoi meticulously examined his exposed upper torso in the beveled mirror, his fingers deftly traced around the scar ingrained into his left chest, the feeling of crinkled flesh underneath the pads of his fingers made him grimace. In the midst of his light complexion was a patch of of brown, burned flesh dug into his left chest. He grimly stared at it, it reeked with humiliation.

His hand clamped tighter together and he brought himself to crash his knuckles into the mirror, shattering it into pieces. "Damn it!" he cursed, half satisfied with his efforts, his mind still demanded for his thirst to be quenched. "Kato Dan." he growled against the pain swelling up in his knuckles.

At that very moment he withdrew his hand his attention drew to the commotion just outside the changing rooms. He glared over his shoulder with trepidation when he heard the shuffling of footsteps draw closer to his premise.

The chakra lingered around the premise slowly. Aoi grimaced at the intoxicating presence he was overly familiar with: feminine, young and strong. Aoi licked the blood from his knuckles and smirked, ready for Yuukimi's entrance.

"We need to talk," the raven-haired woman snarled once she had burst past the doors. "How _dare_ _you_ defy Kakashi-senpai's orders - your _superior's_ orders!"

Although the tone of her voice was threatening Aoi remained poised - stoic. "My, such foul mood today Yuukimi-chan." lips twisted into a senile smile. "Tell me, why does this matter concern you anyway?"

Yuukimi threw her reports down onto the floor, papers spewing all around on the pavement. "They were innocent people, Aoi! _Why_ did you kill them?!"

Aoi slipped in his shirt before he leaned against the wall with nonchalance. "Being innocent _doesn't_ grant you the right to live."

"What was that, you fiend?!"

"This world we live in is a masculine world. They were simply too weak to live in this world. Naïve people like you wouldn't possibly understand." he calmly replied. "They don't have a purpose in this world, therefore they should be exonerated from this corrupt system of living!"

Yuukimi wielded her saber and glaringly darted its tip at Aoi. "That excuse alone doesn't permit you to kill those people!"

Aoi's face darkened as he took steps forward. "You sound just as annoying as that bastard Kakashi."

_"Wh-What?!"_

In a blink of an eye, before her body could even register, Aoi's hand clasped her face and forcefully slammed her body into the pavement.

"Since you're just as weak, I might as well erase you from this world."

_**~O~O~**_

"Captain, what are you doing here?" Genma inquired with a crooked smile. "I heard you were on leave."

Kakashi merely glanced up for a second from the sheaf of paperwork that had since compiled on his desk, lightly acknowledging his presence. "Aren't _you_ on medical leave, Genma?"

He gave a slanted grin then pulled out a crumpled wad of paper from his back pouch that had been signed by a medic. "I've been discharged as of thirty minutes ago," a grimace resurfaced passed his jolly façade. "But, damn, my arms still kill from what Aoi did to me."

"I've been told," he picked up the piece of report that was given to him by Yuukimi earlier that morning. "I've also been informed that you failed to rescue majority of the hostages."

Genma ceased his furious chewing on his senbon, the end drooped downcast all of a sudden. His lips pursed whilst his eyebrows knitted together with dismay. "That bastard forced our hand to kill them - or rather, he forced Itachi to kill them."

"How?"

"Does it matter? The dead won't come back."

"It matters to me, Genma." mismatched eyes darkened and narrowed ominously. "_Tell me_."

The brown-haired ninja was taken aback at the sight of his tightened eyes piercing through him, as if he was just an insignificant being cowering away in the corner. "It was like a game," he confessed bitterly, teeth gritting together. "He played them like they were toys! Men were executed clean and quickly.. but the women... and the children-"

"Go on."

Warm water glazed his brown eyes and his hands began to tremble with overwhelming rage. "They tortured all of them - _slowly_, watching them scream and moan for help!" his fist then punched through Kakashi's desk, splinting the wood slightly. "Tell me, Kakashi, what kind of job is this?!"

He lowered his head slightly, "I..."

"Aren't we supposed to help people?!" Genma roared overthrowing his own Captain. "If that's the case, _why_... _why_ are we taking the lives of many innocent in the most grotesque way possible!?"

"_We_ _didn't_ kill them; Aoi and his despicable team did!" Kakashi firmly corrected.

"Even so, I couldn't do anythi-"

Sharp clashes infiltrated their dark seclusion, followed with a distinct explosion. Metal was heard collapsing, then the clashing of weapons ensued. Kakashi immediately rose on his feet, hand balled into a tight fist.

"Yuukimi!"

_**~O~O~**_

The locker room where Aoi had originally occupied to recuperate in turned into a fierce battlefield: quick shuffling of feet followed by clashes of saber echoed throughout the expanse of the room. Aoi ferociously charged forward with inhumane speed circling around Yuukimi, waiting for an opening - lethal or not, one inflicted wound would certainly lower her moral and make her think irrationally.

Yuukimi's eyes tightened, feet shifted slightly, hands clutched around the saber tightly. Her eyes tentatively followed every single movement he made. _Left, right.. right, left-_

"Analyzing my movements is futile!" Aoi claimed as he lunged forward, blade at the ready.

The raven-haired read his movements but it was too late for her to completely deflect it. She staggered backwards to gain enough momentum to counter even the slightest against his attack. Their blades crashed after the edge of his sword had lightly torn past her bicep.

They both stood, dominant foot forward whilst the other foot worked as a support. Yuukimi pushed her katana further against Aoi's before she pulled herself back, sword still at the ready.

She wiped the sweat off her perspiring forehead and swallowed harshly. "So you _do_ have something to brag about," she started, eyes wavering from his blade to his feet. "But... I have already monitored your speed. I can now easily-"

Aoi resigned as sigh, hands ruffling through his hair, tutting in annoyance. "Don't get ahead of yourself, you _little bitch_."

Yuukimi had faltered too much out of exertion which showed a weakness in her defense. Aoi utilized her lack of attention to his benefit and lashed out an assault as fast as lightning.

"How-?" words failed her once the tip of his saber pierced her side.

The male ANBU snarled, barely satisfied at the pool dripping from his weapon. He withdrew and slashed upwards, tearing through her white armor and scarring into her flesh. Yuukimi managed to bend backwards, enough to evade the deadly strike from her face.

She jumped backwards and pierced down her sword into the ground to regain balance. "Shit..."

Aoi cocked his head to the side and grinned before he licked the bloodshed laced off of his fingers. "What's the matter?" he asked cockily. "Can't you stand back up?"

He wielded four shurikens in his spare hand and projected it relentlessly towards his own comrade then wielded another four. Her body moved upon impulse, first by grabbing a hold of her sword and slashing all of them away.

Another four came. To this she leaped upwards and threw a set of kunais.

Aoi dashed toward Yuukimi, precisely waiting for the moment her feet would land flat onto the ground. At the right moment he whipped his sword downwards and slashed the flesh of her thighs clean.

Yuukimi fell onto her knees, teeth digging into her lips. She barely registered at the slashes her upper torso experienced before she picked up by her neck. She growled under his restraint, hands trying to tear his own open as her body wiggled helplessly.

"Pathetic," he spat lowly, discarding her body away.

She felt her body thud onto the ground before it helplessly rolled on the pavement, spraying her own blood on the cement. Her head lolled to the side helplessly before she felt Aoi's foot burrow deep into her abdomen. She shrieked pathetically in pain as blood gurgled out of her mouth.

He licked his lips, eyes creasing in delight. "That's it.._ that's_ the expression I want to see." his fingers laced into her jet black locks. He yanked hard, emitting another high pitch scream from her. "Scream again... _scream!_" he growled against the rim of her ear.

Yuukimi hung her head down low before she wielded another kunai from her side pouch. "You..._ you-!_" her hand palmed the kunai into his hip, gaining a low groan. She stood back up from her feet and mustered every single strength inside of her to tackle him into the ground.

Once on top she straddled him into place. "Fucking bastard! You think you can play with people just like that?!" her fist dug into his nose, breaking it in the process.

Aoi caught her hand and unclasped it from its curled form, he smirked. "Lives are meant to be played with!" he cracked her fingers back then twisted her wrist. She cried hoarsely at the astounding pain welling up in her broken dominant hand. "How does that feel?"

Yuukimi screamed again, higher this time, when his fingers plunged into her open wound. _"Fucker!"_ she hissed.

He brushed off the strands which clung onto her face mixed with sweat and blood, and glared straight into her pupils. "That expression you do is _beautiful_, you know." he whispered. "Almost breath taking. _Yes_, let me hear it again. Scream like that for me only."

She cringed at his touch of a deranged form of affection. "_Don't_ touch me." she whimpered as a warning. It was futile, her chakra was on a tight leash and exerting it further more would be extremely reckless and foolish.

Aoi sighed, "I guess it really can't be helped," his fist burrowed deep into her stomach, the impact was great enough to project her body out of the open door of the changing room. "I _really_ _do_ need to kill you."

Yuukimi found her feet and somehow managed to gain her balance. Her only functioning hand covered the wound of her side as she heavily breathed. "You're not going to kill me, Aoi."

Their fight had attracted the attention of many new recruits whom trained just outside of the changing room. They all crowded behind Yuukimi, curious as to what will happen next. Without any superiors around the fight will certainly end with a friendly kill. They clustered around, interest piqued, and after the sudden crash of Yuukimi they became awfully quiet and stunned.

Then, after many long seconds, raw pandemonium ensued. A mixture cheered for Aoi whereas others supported for Yuukimi's survival.

Aoi wielded his weapon first. "Doubt me all you want, Yuukimi." Slowly he got into his stance and raced towards her, the tip of his blade already glared at her chest. He had already planned to go for a fatal blow - the strike to the heart.

At first she staggered back, but even that was a fruitless attempt to evade his attack. The vexed muscles in her thighs twisted and due to the amount of blood she had lost her consciousness began to fade. Her eyes rolled backwards - and she was met by oblivion.

The blade plunged into flesh and weaves of blood splattered all over the pavement. Aoi's smile widened at the sight of his blade claiming the vestige of life that tried to cling on in vain. However, his malicious grin faded away at the sight of mismatched eyes glowering at his own pair.

"Did you _really_ think that I would allow you to deliver the final blow, Aoi?" Kakashi sharply asked, sharingan erratically spinning until it revealed its third staged form.

The tip of the sword had been embedded into his gloved palm whilst his other hand held Yuukimi close against his body, out of harm's way. Swiftly Kakashi channeled electric currents into the blade and into Aoi whom snapped back away from range.

"Fellow teammate or not; if you lay your _filthy_ hands on my subordinate again.. I _will_ kill you." the silver-haired Captain's eyes gleamed with blood-thirst.

Without haste Kakashi pulled the sword out of his hand and discarded it into the ground. Softly he lifted Yuukimi from the ground and hooked her legs into his arm and allowed her face to nestle against his chest. His abrupt presence alone in the battlefield was enough to silence the new recruits' outrageous chants and roars. They remained reticent, not moving, not wanting to move.

"You pitiful fool." he lowly remarked with disgust as he peered over the slope of his shoulder.

"Do no try and underestimate me, you fucking bastard!" Aoi vociferated as he ran towards the Captain, picking up the abandoned sword in the process.

Before he could deliver a strike his sword was flicked away from his grasp by Shisui's kunai. The Uchiha stood in between Aoi and Kakashi coolly with tightened eyes darting its glare at the enraged ninja. The tip of his kunai lightly pressed against the skin of his neck, threatening to plunge straight through if he dared to even resist.

"Stop this pitiful act already, Aoi." Shisui's eyes flickered and a new set of sharingan came to life. "If you do not.. then I shall _dispose_ of you myself."

Kakashi looked over his shoulder once more before he walked through the clustered crowd, unfazed. As he walked to the infirmary room he shared a couple of glances with his teammate who stared at him throughout their walk through the corridors.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-senpai." Yuukimi murmured finally. "I didn't mean for you to come in and get yourself hurt as well. I-"

"Yuukimi," he coldly interrupted as he halted in the middle of an empty corridor. "Stop talking."

"Senpai.."

Kakashi huffed lightly and continued to walk again. "Save your energy to rest. I want you back by my side as soon as possible."

_**~O~O~**_

"That fucking bastard!" Aoi roared as he hurled several steel chairs at the wall in rage. "I'll definitely end up killing him one day. So I can seize his position and become the right-hand man!"

Danzo languidly strode in the room, hand clutching his wooden crook. "I don't think that's possible,"

"What was that?!"

"You're nothing against Kakashi, Aoi. It's a futile, fruitless attempt to even go against him."

"You underestimate me?!" he snarled through his teeth. "_Me?!_ I am the_ best_ soldier you have, you fool!"

_"Was."_ Danzo coolly corrected. "You _were_ the best. But that's in the past now."

"What did you just say?!"

"You're nothing against Kakashi," his exposed eye creased upwards. "At least, against the Kakashi that was reborn."

Aoi glared fiercely. "Reborn?"

"Technically, Kakashi died two years ago along with his paramour in a suicide mission."

_**~O~O~**_

"Nee-chan!" Nawaki whined, swinging his feet irritably on a high stool. "You promised you'd train me!"

Tsunade placed an ink stamp on several discharge papers before she glanced up at her brother who had been pouting for an hour or so. She gave an apologetic smile as she slowly walked towards him. Softly she ruffled his hair and crouched down to meet him eye-level. "I'm sorry, just give me more time - I need these approved before we can move on."

He folded his arms and grumbled inaudible words which left Tsunade befuddled. "...whatever."

"Nawa-"

"Tsunade-sama," another feminine voice infiltrated the room. "I've finished with the patients. We should be done for the time being."

Tsunade smiled and stood back up, "Thank you Shizune."

The raven-haired woman returned the same gleeful expression before she averted her attention to the brooding little boy on the stool. "Nawaki-kun, what's with the long face?"

"Nee-chan is being a liar."

Shizune giggled whereas Tsunade glared in shock. "Come on, chin up, your sister is doing the best she can. Today has been a busy day, Nawaki - over fifty wounded patients, some can only be healed by your sister. So, c'mon, cut her some slack."

Nawaki's pout disappeared and he lowered his head. "I know that," he whispered. "But I want to spend some time with Nee-chan. Ever since Dan onii-san has been dispatched off to some S class mission, she's been... all alone."

Quickly evaluating the scene, Shizune quickly scanned Tsunade's downcast expression upon hearing her uncle's name. Although the expression only remained for a couple of seconds, her doleful mood quickly cracked through her meek façade. Shizune frowned worriedly, but she kept up a straight face when she faced the Senju heir. "You know what, I've got some spare time. Want me to show you some cool medical ninjutsu tricks?"

The Senju heir cocked his head to the side and quirked a brow. "Are you even as good as Nee-chan?"

Tsunade bit back her laugh. Shizune's face unexpectedly darkened, scaring the young heir off his stool. "Are you doubting me?" she growled.

Nawaki quickly shook his head repeatedly. "No-no-no... of course not, Shizune-chan!"

She grabbed him by his collar and hurled him out of the room. "Well then, you wouldn't mind being my apprentice for the hour, right?!" Nawaki flipped up on his feet and smirked, posture straightened with oozing confidence.

"That throw is _really_ _weak_, Shizune-chan. Nee-chan can throw me to the other side of the village with ease."

"Oh, we haven't started yet, Nawaki-kun." Shizune darkly grinned, reassuring him that she was much stronger than that.

Tsunade gently clasped onto Shizune's wrist, lips faintly edging a thankful smile. Shizune patted Tsunade soothingly on her back then drew her in for a warm embrace. "They'll find him," she whispered. "My uncle is not a weak man."

"I know... I know."

"Besides," Shizune started with a chirpier tone. "I heard the best ROOT squadron was dispatched this morning by Kakashi. A unit with over twelve A to S class ninjas with sensory prowess."

Tsunade abruptly pulled away, shocked beyond belief. "Kakashi did that?!"

_**~O~O~**_

Itachi remained perched on a tree, silent and still like a statue. His scarlet orbs burst forth to life followed by three tomoes swirling to place. His tugged at his cloak's hood to shadow his cat-like mask. A total of sixty guards - no, ANBU veterans - defended around his objectives. The way they circled into a defensive position, how they remained on alert despite him leashing his chakra was not an act of a mere rookie.

Going against them would be futile - it would only put his mission to jeopardy. The possible outcome of his reckless action wouldn't be trivial but catastrophic. Clicking his tongue irritably, Itachi wiped his sweating palm against the fabric of his pants. He knew his sources showed discrepancy, but he never thought the black market could hire such elite ninjas. His eyes quickly scanned through the myriad of lifeless face of the captured women, all subdued by drugs.

His lips twisted then he fixed his mask more prominently on his face. With obvious signs of hesitation, Itachi disappeared from the scene with the sound of crows cowing from the far distance. With the amount of hours he had spent accumulating information, there could still be a chance to rescue those kidnapped women before they get sold off to any potential owners.

Without any further notice Itachi's black silhouette began to form in front of the Hokage. He set on one knee and took off his mask to show respect. "Hokage-sama, please forgive me, I have failed to retrieve the objectives."

"Oh?"

"The sources were unreliable, fed wrong information. Had I known there were sixty men, I would have asked for Shisui and Kakashi-senpai's assistance."

Hiruzen placed his pen down, "But the women - were they still.. alive?"

"Yes. And all is not lost, I've heard that their rendezvous is at the Land of the Moon." his raised his head up high, stoicism contorting into a face filled with determination. "I can still salvage this mission."

The Third laughed, "Who would have thought that this kind of coincidence would happen?"

"Is there something you have in mind, Sandaime-Hokage?"

"I have just received an escort mission request from a wealthy family to the Land of the Moon. We could simply use that mission to also infiltrate them and intercept those bastards before a deal is sealed." the motion of his hand ceased and his pen was placed onto the table. "I've already assigned Tsunade to this assignment, but I guess we need one more member to ensure the success of this mission.

Itachi rose from the ground, "Then, Hokage-sama, please send me along with Tsunade."

The Third sucked on his pipe and exhaled groggily. _If I send Itachi along that wouldn't be a problem. But this kind of mission will take approximately two weeks to complete, if I take in consideration the distance from the Leaf to the Land of the Moon. If I send in Kakashi, then surely, Tsunade can also gain his-_

"Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen shook his head. "No, Itachi, I want to assign you to a different mission."

"But this mission is-!"

"I'll be sending Kakashi along. You needn't worry, it'll still be a success."

"I thought Captain was on leave."

"I doubt he'll have any qualms being sent back to the field so soon." the Hokage replied. "He's not the type to sit idle for long anyway."

Itachi passively agreed and was dismissed from the Hokage Tower after he was given the order to summon both Tsunade and Kakashi to the Tower.

Hiruzen swiveled his chair around, taking the pipe from between his lips. "Hatake Kakashi..."

_**~O~O~**_

Tsunade paced through the long corridors of the hospital simultaneously flicking through her clipboard for any patients pending for attention. She halt at the door of room 208 and quickly scanned the details of injury - several slashes, one deep wound, all inflicted by a sharp edged katana, and a broken hand. "Yuukimi," she read in a murmur before she finally pushed the door open.

There, to her ultimate surprise, stood Kakashi. He was leaning on the wall adjacent to Yuukimi's hospital bed, silently watching her with concern. "Kakashi," Tsunade noted, baffled by his presence. "Is-Is she your subordinate?"

"Ah. She's currently recuperating. She has been healed prior to Shizune attending to her, but our medical ninjas in ROOT has limited experience. So I sent her here." Kakashi reasoned, leaning off from the wall, folding his arms. "Did you come to discharge her?"

"No, I can't, not as of yet." Tsunade walked closer to Yuukimi to further analyze her treatment. "She isn't in grave danger, but her wounds - deep as it is - can reopen if she's exposed to heavy training and the battlefield. As I understand you ROOT members, you're constantly active in assassination missions. She cannot partake in such missions, at least, not until a couple of days from now."

Kakashi nodded, coming closer to Tsunade. "I trust that you'll take care of her."

"It's my job."

"I want only you and Shizune tending to her needs," he insisted. "I don't want her to be treated by flimsy rookies."

Tsunade huffed out in exasperation before she caved in. "Alright. I guess I do owe you one."

His eyes traced back at her. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you dispatched your own ROOT members to look for Dan - thank you."

"Like I said before, I have my own reasons of why I want him back. Don't misunderstand, I'm not doing you any favors."

Tsunade smiled. "Nonetheless, thank you." her eyes softened at the sight of Yuukimi sleeping peacefully. "You care for her, don't you?"

"She's a comrade, a dutiful and faithful soldier. I simply need her." Kakashi coldly responded, slipping his hands in his pockets. "...That's all there is to it."

"Need?" she parroted, hazel darkening into copper. "Or _want_?"

Kakashi stared at her, but she didn't turn to face him. His eyes took its time to drink in her appearance, analyzing more than he'd planned to, from head to toe. The smoothness of her skin, the softness of her golden tresses, and the temptation lying on her beautifully adorned face, were all too tempting for any man. The heavy seduction she possessed without even trying baffled him. "There is a fine line between _need_ and _want_, Tsunade." he spoke, huskier than he'd meant to.

"I don't think that relates to your situation with your fellow subordinate, though." she said with a gentle voice. "She was admitted here three hours ago. Surely you had better things to do rather than watch her sleep."

Kakashi snorted in derision. "Quit trying to prod into my patience, Tsunade. It's a dangerous game to play."

Finally, she turned on her heels, to fully face him. A challenging smirk was triumphant on her face. Slowly, she sauntered towards him then tip-toed to whisper in his ear. "I'd like to test you on that one day." she whispered with a soft bite.

Underneath his mask his lips shifted into a half-smile. He stared at her, quiet and unblinking, irises abysmal and umbrous, merged with his pupils, until the gold of her eyes gone dark, like heated metal. His eyes specifically stared her nude lips that were half open, _tempting_, _taunting_. He then felt her body brush pass him, her scent lingering and polluting his senses - an incredibly addicting aroma, indeed. He watched her with an attentive gaze until she slipped pass the door that led out to the empty corridor. Irritably, he ruffled his hair until some strands became matted against one another, further disheveling the state of his hair.

"That woman..." he whispered with piqued interest. "...I want to know more about her."

**_~O~O~_**

"Hokage-sama, I heard you asked for my presence," Tsunade bowed. "Is there anything you need?"

Kakashi followed a little while on, giving a quiet but respectful nod at the elder. Sarutobi offered them a sealed scroll to which Tsunade took and examined with the masked ninja looming behind her. He was the first to speak: "I thought Itachi was assigned to this retrieval mission. He was dispatched earlier this morning by Danzo-sama."

"The mission failed. However, he did manage to pinpoint their rendezvous in the Land of the Moon."

"Why won't you dispatch him along with Tsunade?"

"I've reassigned him to an espionage mission in the Land of Grass. There has been growing rumors that their military force is growing at an exponential rate - enough to commit a coup d'etat."

"Surely Itachi cannot handle that mission alone. He needs reinforcements!"

"Shisui is on stand-by, working on mission closely situated with Itachi's location. You don't have anything to worry about."

Kakashi sighed with content, placing his hand on his hip to show relief. There was a slouch in his posture and a glimmer of satisfaction with the Hokage's replies, but any evidence of it for the Hokage to see disappeared within a matter of seconds. He stood tall again, gathered himself, and firmly asked: "So, when does this mission take place?"

"The sooner the better." Tsunade interjected. "We're already put at a disadvantage. As we speak, they could be furthering their lead from us."

"Yes, that is true. But the latest I can send you off in your escort mission will be tomorrow morning." the Hokage simply said. "So, I'd advise the both of you to catch an early night tonight. This mission is going to be a long ride - anything, _absolutely anything_, can happen - so make sure you're focused."

"Hai!"

_**~O~O~**_

Cold wind whistled through the dying day, dark blue hue tainting the auburn sky as the sun began to set. Kakashi, dressed in his standard Jonin uniform - minus the vest - knelt down on the fourth gravestone that day. His bandaged hand stroked leisurely the dust away from the surface before one tip of his finger traced around the engravings of the kanji etched into stone. "Kiryu Yuuri," he spoke, another rueful expression plastered on his face.

Like what he did with his former team's gravestone he cleaned the surface of the stone with a wet cloth and placed a new set of flowers beside it. He sighed shakily, covering his face with his bandaged hand, regurgitating sudden sobs. His lip trembled but he managed to control it by sinking his teeth into his delicate flesh, drawing out a slither of blood that tasted like iron on his tongue.

"Five hundred, and counting, Yuuri." he shivered, an apologetic smile shifted through his mask, "How much more, I wonder?"

Cool zephyr swept through the melancholy atmosphere that littered throughout the great expanse of land used to bury the bodies of soldiers they had managed to retrieve from missions. Kakashi remained still in his position, eyeing the block of stone like a hawk. His eyes steeled, no longer shedding a tear; heart made out of fullmetal, not feeling, not wanting to feel.

His hand trembled against the weathered state of the gravestone caused by acid rain and wind. He has killed over five hundred people with the same hand he held her with. His hand has plunged into countless amount of hearts of the enemy without any remorse or thought. A mission was a mission - innocent or not, if the objective deems you guilty, then you must pay with your life.

Carefully, he took a breather and the movement of his hand ceased. "I'll be back in two weeks time, Yuuri." he said lowly for the fourth time that day. His unfolded his limbs and stood back up. Quickly he surveyed the overlay of darkened clouds with trepidation - it was going to rain in a few hours time. The thought of crystal droplets raining down that night repulsed him, reminded him far too much of the past.

_"Yuuri, where are the reinforcements?!" _

_"This is the rendezvous point! They're bound to be here any minute!" _

_"Dan-senpai should be here by now. What's keeping him and his unit?!" _

_"Just believe in the Hokage, Kakashi! They'll be here... I'm sure of it. We'll survive this, I swear!" _

_"Hey, Yuuri, I've been wondering - how did they know where we would infiltrate?" _

_"...I'm not sure." _

_"Do you think... the Hokage sent us off to die here?" _

He grimaced at the myriad of echoes ringing in his head, despite him trying to hush it down by digging his blunt nails into his scalp in frustration. He drew one last breath and decided that the taste of Sake wasn't going to sedate him tonight.

Raising his pierced, bandaged hand Kakashi flickered from the graveyard without a whiff of chakra to be monitored or sensed.

_**~O~O~**_

With a mixture of Sake and enough notes to buy company for the night, Kakashi found himself resided in the outskirt of the Leaf with a nameless woman whom he'd had several sexual encounters before. No words were formed; she knew why he showed up at her door, and he knew she would never refuse him.

It was an obsession he darkly harbored with him.

To be dominant. To leash one's being under his reign. To be supreme for the night. To be in charge of the outcome.

They ambled towards each other slowly, meeting in the middle of the room. She could practically feel the heat radiating forth from his body as she tentatively lifted her hands to his torso. She traced her fingertips over his sculptured chest, feeling the litheness of his chest muscles. A gasp escaped her lips as she caressed over a rough, jagged scar that ran diagonally across his stomach. She instinctively flinched, but he grasped her wrists in his grip and held them firm.

"What?" he asked lowly against the rim of her ear. "Haven't you seen this before?"

"No... I never noticed." she whispered.

"It was from a mission two years ago. I had a gaping hole in my stomach and supposedly went under operation."

She grimaced. He smirked.

"But I didn't come here to tell you my story. I came here to fuck you, remember?"

* * *

Kakashi pushed her onto her back and knelt down between her legs. With a single thrust, he sank his full length into her hot, aching depths. Despite her wetness, taking in his length was still a pleasure on the knife's-edge of pain. He pulled back almost to the tip before thrusting into her once more. A rhythm started to build as perspiration specked their flushed skin. Kakashi's eyes burned with an intangible fire which tightened her stomach, and did little to ease her rapidly fluttering pulse.

It wasn't long until she finally adjusted to his length and girth, and as if he knew she was ready, he began to pummel her with vicious strokes. Every single muscle in her body contracted and relaxed in time with his punishment. Every single nerve ending sizzling with electric pleasure.

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the sheets so tight her fingers went numb. The heat of his hands as they gripped her hips was scalding. As she bit into the fresh linen to keep from bruising her bottom lip, her spare hand laced into his silver locks, tugging at it per thrust he gave. All she could to hold him close was to wrap her legs around his waist as he began to fuck her into submission.

He gripped her wrists firmly and pinned her arms above her head, then bruised his lips against her with fervor. The kiss was unbridled, a passionate mess of gorgeous chaos. He then nipped at her lips and bit into her throat as he held her in place.

Her ears were filled with the roaring of the blood, coursing at breakneck speed through her veins. With each second that passed she lost a little more of herself. Edging closer and closer to that moment when the inevitable, would become the unstoppable. Her body tensed as euphoria saturated her senses. Her body was now shaking with madness and ecstasy, tiptoeing along the ragged edge of consciousness.

"More," she whimpered, pleading, desperate._ "Please."_

"What was that?"

"Give me more," she all but gasped out.

"More can imply a lot of things."

"Harder, faster, fuck me more, Kakashi..." her nails raked downwards into his back as he penetrated her at a new angle. "Make me feel more of you."

"You want it harder?"

A twisting of angle. A strangled moan.

"Yeesss.."

"Deeper?"

A rushing of motion. A sharp cry.

"Oh, god."

"Faster?"

A surging of hips. A choked gasp.

"Don't stop."

With a final flurry of powerful thrusts signalling the end of the line, she grabbed the back of Kakashi's head and roughly mashed their mouths together. As she began to come, she bit into his lip, drawing a slither of blood as her fingers dug in and raked across his muscled back. There was no line now between pleasure and pain, just the feeling.

Kakashi pulled out of her with a ragged sigh of exertion, licking the tinge of blood dribbling past his lip. He smirked, captivating her gaze. That gorgeous smile of his, she thought, she could definitely get used to seeing that every single day. He fell beside her, arm folded behind his head and he closed his eyes shut. Once out of trance he forgot about his own companion as oblivion stole his consciousness away to bring him to his temporary utopia.

_Yuuri... _

_**~O~O~**_

A cluster of sandals hitting slippery soil thrummed throughout the dark expanse of the forest. Due to the weather becoming awfully humid, after numerous days of it being arid, whiffs of chakra that could potentially be Dan's were destroyed. Nevertheless, the group of ROOT members hurdled through the forest, with Tenzo and Genma following behind, surveying the area.

Tenzo then abruptly halted, signalling Genma behind him with a twitch of a finger. "Did you hear that?" he asked, looking around. "I heard a moan of some sort."

Genma shook his head. "No. Where?"

The wood-style user and his comrade remained idle for a couple of minutes, trying to pick up on the smallest moans or groans. Then they heard it, soft and weak... a woman? They glanced at each other with astonishment before they rushed deeper in the woods.

"Hey! Hey!" Genma called out, rushing faster than Tenzo through the woven limbs of trees. "Hey, where are you?!"

"Genma, over here!"

"Shit!" he retraced his steps back and found Tenzo knelt down cradling a woman whose frail cry for help ensued. Although unrecognizable at first, the tendrils of dark purple, matted with blood and mud, was distinguishable enough. "Anko!" he gasped, skidding down on the ground next to them. "Hey! It's okay, we're here now. We'll get you help. Don't worry."

Tenzo pressed her face against his chest after he encased her shivering, badly bloodied body. Her head lolled to the side and she licked her wounded lips before she weakly spoke, "Ambush," she croaked. "...they knew."

"What? Do you know who ambushed you?!"

She shook her head.

"What about Dan, where is he?!"

"...went West. He served as a... diversion."

Genma shared an owlish stare with Tenzo. "Was he badly injured like you, Anko? Was he bleeding? How many chased after him?!"

"He... was their target. He had a bounty of one-hundred... thousand... ryou."

"Motherfucker!" Genma cried, slamming the palm of his hand through the sludge of mud he settled on.

Anko blinked once then twice, blood gurgling forth from her mouth. Tenzo panicked along with Genma. "Get the unit back here now!"

"Al-"

"No!" she cried hoarsely, coughing out lowly. "..Don't. I'll be... fine."

"Look at you - you'll bleed to death, you idiot!"

"Every...one.. dead. Dan-sama.. he.. he managed to break... break through the-the... Four Violet Flames.. Formation."

"You're kidding!" Tenzo gasped in disbelief. "Didn't he get burnt in the process?"

"Dan isn't Salamander of the Leaf for nothing, Tenzo." Genma dully noted, barely fazed. "He, himself, is a flame."

Anko shakily took a breather then her eyes tempted to roll inwards, she winced and buried her head further against Tenzo's chest. The wood-user clutched her body tighter, sighing softly. "Dan-sama.." he muttered softly, "Do you think he's still alive, Anko?"

"He's alive... I can feel it."

* * *

A/N: And after nearly a year of not updating, I'm here with a brand new chapter! :D Surprise, surprise people! But seriously, this chapter was extremely difficult to write. I have scrapped over ten drafts of this chapter. This seriously gave me a hard time to construct. Hopefully the upcoming chapters won't be such a pain.

This chapter was executed in so many ways in my drafts. The first being that it retold everything that happened pre-BEL. But I thought that ruined the mystery too much, too soon. The other being that it fixated solely on Tsunade, but I felt that it was stale. Another one was just Kakashi in the ANBU again, but everything felt too grim and boring. So I finally settled with a lot of scenarios throughout this chapter. But it inevitably was about Kakashi and his character.

And since I didn't want to drag the issue about Dan too much, I decided to shed some light on what happened during their mission. Next chapter will, hopefully, be worth the wait! You'll finally see Tsunade fighting alongside Kakashi, with more chemistry building between them during the mission. More information will also be revealed about Kakashi's past along the way.

Also, the next update may not be soon, because I'm rewriting - not changing the plot - the chapters previous to this. I read it a couple of days ago, and I was grimacing at its state. So I will be spending my time re-writing the three previous chapters. Also I think I need to improve my mediocre writing first before I get deeper into this story. So all of this will impede progress.

Reviews are both adored and appreciated! ;)

**Exciled3**


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